Flames of Consequence
by EnviousMonster
Summary: Envy centric story, Manga/Brotherhood universe, AU concept where Envy survives and is given a second chance to become something more than they were made to be. Will contain depictions of violence, emotional and mental duress, etc. Rating will go up as chapters are added, no pairings for the time being.
1. Chapter one

Forward note: While Mustang typically refers to them as a "he", Envy is gender ambiguous in this story unless they provide their body with a set gender. This is based on the fact that in the anime Envy refers to themselves by name rather than a gendered pronoun regardless of what others used to identify them. Ultimately, this is fiction, don't be alarmed by it.

Smoldering flesh had never smelled so sickeningly pungent before, and it wasn't as if the scent were unfamiliar, however old the memory of it may have been. Perhaps that was because the scent had never lingered about their own body, had never rose in smoking tendrils from their own flesh-until now. The scent was smothering in its all encompassing aroma, but worse than the smell was the pain. The physical act of burning alive repeatedly was a new agony never before known to them, never in all their long years had they endured the sensation of melting within a raging inferno, perfectly crafted skin flaking off in scorched chunks and dissolving to ash before it touched the stone floor beneath their crumpled, smoking form. Another snap echoed within the confines of the underground tunnels, and the homunculus writhed in renewed torment, a scream both of pain and terror ripping from their lips as their body writhed within the flames.

In a macabre irony, Envy had a brief moment between the bursts of vengeful fire to realize that they were indeed dancing for the alchemist, a dance of agony, of fear, and what would ultimately be their death.

 _It shouldn't have been like this, what should I do now? How am I going to get out of here?!_ Envy's mind raced for some sort of plausible escape, their barely reconstructed eyes flitting from the injured Riza Hawkeye to the approaching boots of their executioner, and then to the empty corridor that expanded into darkness to their left.

The next waves of fire rushed forward, encircling their body and stealing the oxygen from their lungs before their screech could resonate. The roar of the flame resonated menacingly in their ears, and as they struggled to remain in a kneeling position, their eyes became fixed on the boots that had carried their tormentor to them. Envy was unable to pull a mask of indifference, malice, or playfulness over their face as they glanced upward; fear rolled off them in quaking tremors as they beheld the face of the human who had brought them so low. Destruction was imminent, it was written in coal black eyes that burned with hatred and disgust, pinning the homunculus to the stone floor and leaving no room for any hope of survival.

They felt the grip of death at their throat, the mania of being helplessly defeated and cornered tearing the ability to even try and think of moving away from their thought process. In desperation, Envy fell back on the one emotion that clawed its way up from the bowels of their terror-rage. "Don't you dare look down on me human!" Their snarl, a bitter defiance against the clearly out matched and, to Envy's mind, unfair situation, was abruptly ended in another explosive barrage. Their shrieks and howls of pain echoed throughout the chamber until at last the fire extinguished itself, along with the remains of their beautifully crafted form.

With what small strength they had remaining, the homunculus, now little more than a murky green leech, abandoned the disintegrating bones of its former self, and sluggishly tried to crawl away. A heavy boot pressed down upon them with crushing force, the air around them thick with the growl of Roy Mustang's voice as he berated them for being ugly, a sting that Envy knew all too well, but was too afraid to retort about. No, Envy was preoccupied with screaming for their life now, and watching with horror as the Colonel's gloved fingers poised to snap a final time.

Flying head over tail through the air was the last thing Envy expected to be experiencing, and being caught and held firmly in Edward Elric's hand was just as bewildering for their brain to try and process. The exchange of vehement words between the young alchemist and his superior were punctuated by cold interjections from Scar and a resigned Hawkeye. Envy found that listening to the four of them bicker and plead with each other was grating at best.

 _Why are they trying to reason with each other? We worked so hard to instill hatred in them, for them to be enemies, how are they not attacking each other now?_ Their brain couldn't fathom the inconsistencies of human logic. Enemies could adapt to trusting one another, working together toward some greater goal regardless of past hatred or injury. It didn't make sense. The quarreling was stifled by the Flame Alchemist's furious shout and an eruption of flame down an empty corridor. Envy reacted viscerally, shuddering within Edward's gloved fist and sucking in air through clenched teeth. Much to their surprise, the human slumped to the floor, apologizing of all things, and with Hawkeye's joining collapse, a strange stillness permeated the tunnel.

"Are you all serious? You can't possibly be willing to set aside your hatred so easily can you? Are you playing some game at being humane now? You're making my skin crawl!" Envy's voice was tiny, but the high pitched squeaking carried with it the venom and frustration they felt rolling within. "Mustang! How can you sit there and do nothing when the man responsible for countless murders is right in front of you! How many alchemists have died at his hand?! Pipsqueak, don't you remember that Scar killed your friend's parents? He's also the one who slaughtered that poor chimera girl in East City! And Scar! You're staring at two of the greatest enemies of Ishval! Mustang turned your home into a living hell, and that woman took pride in being the best sniper in the military, picking off your brothers from a safe hole!" Frantic desperation was creeping into Envy's voice, the angry tremor of their tone steadily climbing to a howl of confused rage. "How can you all just get along?! Kill each other! Fight and cry! Crawl on the floor and die! Why are you just sitting there!? Why!?" Ragged breathing followed the sudden outburst, but a new voice pulled Envy's attention upward, to the honey gold eyes of Edward Elric.

"Envy, you're jealous of humans, aren't you?" The question was more of a statement, as if the boy were reading a fact out of a book. Much to the homunculus' dismay, he continued in his observations. "Humans are supposed to be so much weaker than you homunculi, but when we fall, when we make mistakes, we have people to support us, to help us stand up and keep walking, keep moving forward, and you, you're jealous of that." He gazed down at the bulbous violet eyes in a sympathetic look of understanding, and it was all Envy could do not to implode within his hand.

 _Humans? I'm jealous of humans? Of course I am, but how can he know that?! I've never let on, I never said anything! Did I?_ Envy's mind raced, pulling up memories of mocking taunts and observations they had made in the recent years regarding humanity, and indeed, there was a heavy note of bitter longing to their commentary, even to their behavior. Antagonistic, violently spiteful, teasing, and unexpectedly helpful-Envy had been all of these with the humans, either for their own desires or to further Father's mission.

 _Father, why did he make me this way? It's not fair, I shouldn't have to suffer this way, what choice did I even have? Now I've failed, and this brat is rubbing my face in it like I'm some worthless dog._ A hiss passed their lips as they began struggling, squishing and stretching their small body up and out of Edward's gloved fist forcefully. An attempt at halting their escape was met with a nasty bite, the sting of splatting onto the stone floor lessened by the knowledge that they had successfully injured the brat in some small way. Envy was unable to enjoy their insignificant triumph in the wake of reality however, and as they circled around to take in the four faces looking down on their unsightly weakness, the feelings of loss and despair began to surge up in an overwhelming tidal wave. Their very core shuddered with the weight of it all.

"It's so disgraceful, beaten to a rag by you humans, an existence like this? And worst of it all, the lowest of all of you, is the one who understands me? I, Envy? Jealous of humans? I, Envy?!" Trying to deny it was the most feeble attempt at holding back the deluge of emotion. The wail that clawed its way out of Envy's small maw seemed to spill forth from their very core, their small body quaking as it tumbled side ways to sob brokenly on the cold floor. It didn't matter anymore, there was no point in trying to hide it, no point in fighting for the pride of being a homunculus, no point in trying to be the best for Father, nothing mattered now, everything was going to end soon.

Slowly, the worm that had once been a feared aggressor staggered up from the floor, tears leaking freely from glassy eyes as it squatted into a seated position and chuckled bitterly. "I don't know how long you can get by with that attitude, but do try your best." Offering encouragement was the final way that Envy could think of to close out their existence. It was a final jab at their own nature, giving support to a human. Edward was right, to a certain extent.

Each of the homunculi had been concerned with their own inner battles, the war to deny the cravings their origins dictated they endure, the fear of failure and what it would cost, once Greed had abandoned them all things had changed dramatically, and a coldness had settled over their familial interactions. Though if Envy thought back on their time spent together, Lust and Gluttony had likely been the closest to them that could have tried to become that support the humans had. Even Greed had at one time claimed all his siblings were his, before he left, but over time that sentiment had waned thin until it was hollow and meaningless. Envy hadn't helped to keep any of it from happening, and now here they were, seeking a way to be rid of the pain, tired of fighting and denying the wretched existence they lived. There was only one way to be free.

It was with difficulty that their stubby arms reached deep within their own maw, fumbling about for the crimson stone that was lodged within, pumping and glowing with what minimal energy remained to it. They would pull it out, snap the tendrils that connected their body to their core, crush it if necessary, whatever it took to be rid of their pathetic excuse for life. As they began to pull the stone out from their mouth a surge of alchemic light rushed across their body. The force of it was enough to distract Envy's movements, their stone submerging back within their throat instinctively. Much to their dismay, Envy found their stubby limbs restrained to their sides by a stone fist. Even at their lowest moment, they were denied an end from the agony and humiliation.

"Why?!" Their scream was broken, confusion and despair heavy with each syllable. "What more do you want from me? You've incinerated me, boiled my eyes, riddled me with bullets, destroyed my pride, ripped me open with your damned insight, and now you won't let me die?! You all want me dead anyway! What difference does it make if I do it myself?" Hitching breath caught on a sob as a new rush of tears spilled from their eyes. Envy tried to get a good look at which of them might be coming to end their existence, but found it was Edward's face once again that had moved in close to them. The boy's eyes held a strange look that Envy couldn't comprehend, it was a hard gaze, but compassionate. His voice was steady, confident of all things, and Envy found to their own shock that it was comforting.

"I'm not going to let you die Envy. I've spent more time with you than anyone here, and I know that you've caused a lot of damage, but I also know that you've shown the ability to help, and I think you could learn to be better than what you were made to be. Greed was able to come to terms with his problems, and he's fighting with us, fighting against your father. You could do the same. You can have a chance to change. You don't have to face it alone."

Try as they might, Envy couldn't get their brain to function properly enough to come up with a scathing retort to any of Edward's words. In fact, they were certain they simply felt a new wash of tears bathing their face, it was disturbing to say the least. Was it possible that there was hope in this situation?

 _Why does he have to look at me like this? As if he can just make everything better. Mustang or Hawkeye will still kill me. Greed turned on Father? I'm not surprised, he always was too full of himself to stay loyal._ A small chuckle escaped them as they blinked against the tears and took a deep breath. "You know, I think you might actually have a chance to survive all of this, Edward Elric. That, or you're the stupidest human I've ever known." Envy sniffed softly, unsure if they could truly trust the strange pricking of hope they were feeling. There hadn't been any snapping fingers yet or any clicking guns at least, so they continued. "Greed turning on Father is nothing new, he did it before, and he paid for it. I don't know how he could laugh that way when he was melted down, I know I wouldn't have been able to. You have no idea what you're asking of me, pipsqueak. Father doesn't excuse treachery and I've failed. Either way you look at it, I'm dead. Just let me go, it hurts, and I can't expect those two to let you save me like some hero in a story book. Besides, the monster is always slain in the end, right runt?" Bitterness eased its way back into their voice as realization and logic crushed their blossoming hope. Envy looked down at the stone fingers encasing their body, waiting for the hammer to fall, for Edward to submit to the truth of things, and yield them over to Mustang or Hawkeye for execution.

 _Maybe they'll just let the Ishvalan blow me up, one tiny bomb, it'll be like a party favor-POP!-and everything will be over._ They winced at their own mental imagery. So caught up in their own misery, they missed most of the debate going on among the humans above them.

"Fine Elric. We'll discuss this when everything is over in greater detail. I'm not promising you anything, do you understand? For now, secure him, we'll figure out what to do with him after we destroy his father." The Colonel's voice was hard, thick with resentment and indignation, but the words were an unexpected relief. At the very worst, execution had been postponed. Envy looked upward as the stone fist was re-transmuted into the floor, and Edward carefully collected them from the cold stone, holding their body in an open hand. A cautious glance behind them revealed a scowling Mustang, Envy swallowed and attempted not to show too much fear, but those coal black eyes were more than they could stand to face at the moment. Still, if they were truly being given a chance, and if they wanted any sense of mercy later, perhaps it was worthwhile to be helpful? These humans were now their only chance of survival, Father would be furious, but if Father was defeated, then Envy wouldn't have to face destruction.

"Envy, I'm going to transmute a container for you, you'll be safe until we finish this, and then I'll come back for you." It was almost pathetic the way the boy kept trying to console them with his gentle words. No matter how much the homunculus wanted to be annoyed about it though, they found the change in attitude welcome. A sort of balm to the injury of their existence. In a few moments they found their little body settled into a glass box, a cell of sorts, but Edward had placed one of his gloves inside so that Envy had something soft to rest on. The lid had a few small air holes, enough to provide adequate ventilation, but not large enough to allow escape. With a touch of shame, Envy felt a strange sort of gratitude welling up inside, but tried to ignore it in favor of proving they could be helpful after all. "Wait a second pipsqueak! I'm going to let you in on a little secret, since you're going out of your way to be my hero and all." They glanced to the right, past Edward's curious face to Mustang for just a moment.

"Greed may be fighting against Father, but Wrath and Pride are still loyal to him, if you encounter either of them it's going to be a tough fight. So be-" Envy caught their words before they actually said careful. "Just don't be stupid about it, you take too many chances when you fight. Father isn't going to go easy on you, he'll fight you with everything he has, and if he forces you to open the door then everything will be over. You know what I'm talking about, do not open the door Edward. None of you open it, you stupid humans, you have to-you need to use logic not your emotions." They faltered lamely and trailed into silence, staring at the rumpled glove in their enclosure. Edward's voice drew their violet eyes up to see an appreciative smile on the alchemist's face.

"If I didn't use my emotions where would you be now huh? I understand what you're trying to say, we'll be careful Envy, we're going to win. You wait right here and you'll see! I'll come back, and you're going to have a whole new life to figure out how to live!" He nodded in that confidently determined manner he always seemed to have, and then the four humans headed down the corridor, leaving the defeated homunculus with their bewildered thoughts. Envy silently curled up on top of Edward's glove, allowing the exhaustion of their earlier punishment to slowly creep up and claim their mind. As they felt the numbness of sleep tugging at their consciousness they had a final acknowledgement.

 _Pipsqueak's not so bad after all I guess, if he survives anyway. I'm going to need his help if I have to face Mustang. How stupid is all of this? They better win, or I'll be lucky if Pride just squishes me in this dumb box._


	2. Chapter two

The constant rumbling and groaning of the ground below their glass cell eventually roused the homunculus from their slumber. Envy couldn't quite understand what was happening initially, but as the tremors continued to quake below comprehension of the cause came. Envy's mind reeled in realization.

 _This is from fighting deep underground, fighting with Father! Did one of those idiots open the door for him? Did they give him access to that stupid Gate? I can't tell anything from in here! Why did I agree to help them?!_ Frustration and bitterness welled up inside the leech like being as they scrabbled off of Edward's glove and pressed their large head to the cool pane of the glass. Violet eyes searched frantically for any possible means of escape, but found nothing within reach. Envy cast a scowling glance toward the air holes high above them, knowing there wasn't any way to get through without shifting their form, which in their current weakened state, wasn't possible.

It wasn't long till the quaking of the ground ceased, much to Envy's shock, and the stillness brought with it a creeping fear that perhaps, the humans had been defeated. Hushed breaths were the only sound for several long minutes, Envy could feel their nerves tingling with the icy touch of terror at the thought that Pride, Wrath, or Father himself may find them this way. Struggling was pointless, the glass was thick and heavy, too difficult to crack by throwing their tiny body against it. As Envy paced back toward Edward's glove the ceiling of the tunnel gave an unexpected shudder, the roaring sounds of collapsing brick and mortar rushing toward their location just ahead of a blast of smoke and debris. Envy's shrill screech was drowned out by the deafening sound of the ceiling crashing down around them.

 _It's dark...am I dead? I can't see anything, something is tangled around my legs! Wait...this is..the runt's glove? Then...that means.._ Blinking through the haze of dust, dirt, and smoke their eyes were able to glimpse fractured rays of light shining down over the rubble surrounding them. Envy stared up and found to their shock that a metal beam had toppled across the tunnel at an angle and lodged in the opposite wall, acting as a protective barrier over the top of the glass box as rubble fell around it. "I'm alive..? Ah..ha..ha ha ha! I'm alive!" Through luck, or some force the homunculus couldn't understand, their little prison had been shielded perfectly in the wide shadow of the support beam, though it did appear that a few bricks had created some small cracks in a few of the walls. Once the joy of survival had passed Envy turned their mind to other important concerns. "How am I going to get out of here? Are they still fighting? Who won? What if I'm stuck in here forever?! They forgot about me, stupid humans, you just can't trust them. Why was I so stupid?! Hey! PIPSQUEAK! SCAR! HAWKEYE! MUSTANG!" A few quiet moments passed after their last shout, and as they began to gather their breath for another burst of yelling the wall of debris a few feet to the right exploded. Envy jerked sideways as bits of rock plinked forcefully against the glass, chipping at the cracks formed by the previous cave in. If the container's walls shattered, the top was very likely to crush them. Before that could happen a pair of hands reached down from the cloud of dust and lifted the top of the container away. Envy looked up in stunned silence as Edward Elric's battle worn face greeted them with an exhausted grin.

"You know, I'm really getting sick and tired of being hauled around in jars and boxes like some kind of lab experiment." Envy growled and paced in a circle around their new accommodations-a tall mason jar, complete with air holes way up at the top, and shot a withering glare at the chuckling response they received. Their new means of containment was carefully placed on the center of a bed side table in a hospital room where the two Elric brothers were being treated after their victorious battle. Edward had filled Envy in on some of the details but hadn't answered all of their questions, claiming that some things weren't at his liberty to explain. Envy was troubled at the refusals, particularly since they involved information about Greed, Pride and Wrath. They had learned that Father had forced the Gate of the World open, become a perfect being, and then lost as the souls he had claimed for his own revolted against him from the inside out, joined by the might of the military and alchemists. In the end he had been sucked down into a void within himself, Edward had supposed that Truth had taken him into the Gate, but whether it was certain or not he couldn't say; all he could tell them was that their father had lost the battle and was gone.

It had been a lot to digest for them, and for a long while Envy had been silent and still within their jar, staring blankly across the room at the bed Alphonse lay sleeping in. The younger Elric was tethered to numerous medical bags of fluid and pain soothing medications, nurses routinely came in and out with clip boards, monitoring him and scribbling notes, passing warm smiles to Edward and confused or frightened glances at the strange creature on his bed side table.

Envy eventually decided that flashing their teeth at the nurses was more entertaining than dwelling on the unknown. At least seeing a human startle at their presence felt almost normal. It wasn't long before Edward began to chide them for scaring the nurses and Envy hissed in response. "If you don't want me to frighten them, then give me something to do here! I'm bored in this damn jar you know? Staring at your dumb face and that lump sleeping in the corner isn't doing anything to make my situation any better. You won't even answer my questions! What's going to happen now? Where do we go from here huh?! I can't stay like this! Do you have any idea how hard it is to get around on these stubby limbs? And even if I could run, one serious injury and I'm dead!" Envy snarled in anger, thumping the jar with one small claw. Golden eyes stared at them thoughtfully as Edward's lips pursed together. Envy could tell he was running calculations and potential out comes in his head.

 _I wonder if he knows that he squishes his lips up like that when he thinks about things? He looks like an idiot, or a duck._ Envy snorted softly to hide their chuckle.

"I know you want to be strong again, and I'm sure that form isn't your favorite, but Envy, you can't really think they're going to just give you that kind of power. You're going to face their questions first, and I'm not allowed to be there with you." Edward stared solemnly at them, and the homunculus felt a cold weight settle in the pit of their stomach. Interrogations were not something they wanted to endure, certainly not in this situation. The last time they had been in a jar and interrogated had been up North, after losing to Marcoh, Scar, and the Chimeras. Envy remembered the way their body had been slammed between the walls of their container, ricocheting painfully as they had been shaken nearly to the point of vomiting. This time it could be much worse. Trying to quell the sense of dread, they voiced a cautious query. "When will they come for me?" Edward shrugged, and shook his head.

It took two days for the military to come and collect Envy from the Elric's hospital room. Two days for the homunculus to wonder and worry about what they would be forced to endure. Envy's nerves were on edge as their jar was placed on a wide table in a dimly lit room. Peering around they could see the figures of several military officials. A man with a pointed mustache and thick glasses sat at the head of the table, peering at them with an indeterminable expression. To the left was a woman with piercing blue eyes and a wave of golden hair that cascaded down her back and over the right side of her face in very loose curls. Her pink lips were pressed into a harsh line and her scrutiny made Envy's unease worse. On the right of the table was Mustang himself, scowling and dark as usual, and the sight of his hands folded together on the table made the Homunculus' throat feel dry in memory of the fires a single snap could summon. There were other figures in the dim light of the room, but these three were most prominent, and Envy was certain would be the ones addressing them.

The man at the head of the table inhaled slowly, then leaned forward a bit and spoke. "It would appear that we have something of a conundrum with regard to you, homunculus. You see, we can't allow you to cause any more damage than you have up till now, and yet, I have been informed that you made some small effort to be of aide to us before the final battle. Also, it has been explained to me that the Fullmetal Alchemist made a pact with you, to give you a second chance as it were." Here he paused, his tone carefully neutral.

"Unfortunately for you, Edward Elric does not determine the fate of war criminals. You are responsible for much suffering in this land, and you have shown very little proof that we should trust you enough to risk allowing you to live. What can you offer that should save you from execution?" The woman's brisk voice abruptly cut in, startling Envy a bit as they turned to find her calculating gaze looming over them. Wide eyes blinked as their mind whirled with possible answers. This wasn't something they were prepared to answer. Bargaining for their life? What could they offer to tempt any of these humans?

"What do you want me to say? I've been defeated all ready, destroyed in fire numerous times till I was reduced to this pitiful form, I'm barely alive now. If you want to kill me then do it, make the runt's words meaningless. I don't have anything to offer you, we tempted you with the dangerous power of the Philosopher's Stones, and I doubt any of you three want one now." A derisive snort escaped them as they turned to look from one face to the next, trying to mask their fear with anger. "If I was at my full strength you wouldn't be looking down on me like this, you damn humans. Playing at being gods, is it fun? You want me to beg or ask for mercy? You've won! I've lost everything, I have nothing to give you and I don't know what you want!"

The woman slammed her hand down on the table surface, causing a tremor that made Envy stumble within their jar. She leaned in, her scowl fixing on Envy's large eyes. "You're correct little worm, you have lost everything. Still, before that you were quite powerful weren't you? In the north of Briggs we determine things through strength. One has the ability and the will to survive or one does not. A being with the kind of strength you once possessed could certainly be useful. If you could be trusted, but at present that seems impossible." Her musing ended as her gaze traveled past Envy's jar to fall on Mustang. His silence had been palpable, thick with resentment and frustration, but as he took a breath and sighed, the tension seemed to ease up just a bit.

"As much as I would rather see you executed, to do so at this point would come with complications. There would be no honor in simply destroying you right now, you haven't tried to escape or fight back since your defeat, and despite being obnoxious, you've been cooperative. There is a chance you can continue living, under certain conditions." As Mustang's words echoed within Envy's ears, they felt deep inside that same twinge of hope they had experienced in the tunnels. Showing interest, they shifted their body against the side of the jar that was closest to the man, watching with interest as a faint smirk flashed across his face.

"So you aren't ready to die then hmn? Well, let me explain the terms for you, homunculus. You will be restrained to a handler, a warden who will keep you under close watch twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You will act only in accordance to their command, and you will work to rebuild this country, as penance for your crimes." He paused a moment, allowing Envy a chance to process what was being offered. When the homunculus nodded slightly, he continued. "Given the fact that there is only one man in Armestris who controls flame alchemy, which is the most effective weapon against you, I will be your warden. You will obey my every command, where I go you will go, and if you defy me, fight me, or attempt to escape me you will suffer the consequences of those decisions. This is your only choice, if you can prove that you're able to be reformed then you might earn that second chance after all. If you can't handle it, then we can execute you. It's your choice."

Envy felt the convulsions twitching all along their small body, pangs of disbelief and shock shot through their mind as they tried to grasp the severity of the choice laid before them. N _OT HIM! WHY HIM!? Just look at his face! He's going to make me miserable on purpose every day for his own enjoyment! I don't want this, why can't I go with the woman? I hate the snow, but Briggs would be a hundred times better than being Mustang's dog! Still-I don't want to die. I don't have a choice really, do I?_ Looking into Mustang's smug face was almost sickening to them, but Envy closed their eyes, lowered their bulbous head a little, and sighed deeply in resignation.

"I'll do it. It's not much of a choice, but if it's the only one, how can I say no?" They frowned as much as possible in their current form, then blinked at the unexpected chortle from the man at the head of the table.

"Excellent! I'm curious to see how this will play out. You both will have a difficult path ahead of you. Mustang, I expect you to use restraint when possible, this creature has never known the life you are about to impress upon it, you will be the one in need of great patience my friend." He chuckled softly, eyeing the jar and the glowering being within it. Mustang sighed heavily and nodded. He then reached across the table and took the jar in both hands, opening the lid and setting the container on its side so that Envy could slowly scrabble over the lip, flopping gracelessly onto the wooden surface of the table. Violet eyes gazed suspiciously at the humans, coming to rest on the woman who was holding up a vial of something Envy hadn't ever expected to see. They knew the crimson liquid all too well. The same fluid that had been pumped into the undying doll soldiers, liquid energy that could revitalize their stone, though there wasn't much of it.

"Führer Grumman has insisted that if you were to cooperate we supply you enough of the material left behind by the immortal army experiment to regain your human form. Do not assume you will have access to any of the liquid Philosopher's Stones beyond what we allow you. If you attempt to discover where it is located, or obtain more of it on your own Mustang will deal with you. Understand?" Her voice was cold as ice, brokering for no response other than a nod of acquiescence, which Envy was willing to give in exchange for the vial. The moment she had placed the tiny bottle on the table, Envy bumbled across to it, tore off the lid, and devoured the entire container within their small maw.

The surge of fresh energy went straight to their core, sending jolts of power and heat throughout every fiber of their being. It wasn't much, in fact it barely felt like it would be enough, but the small rush of energy was accompanied by little red sparks of alchemic reaction that signified their transformation. The effort to shape shift was arduous at such a low power level, and Envy could feel the odd sensation of their limbs protesting the forced change as bones and muscle lengthened, flesh stretched and paled to a soft cream color, claws became fingers and toes, their mouth changed from a vertical slit to a horizontal pair of lips with teeth and tongue, and the familiar fall of their wild hair brushed against the skin of their back. The pleased look couldn't be hidden in their eyes as they gazed down on their preferred form, quickly patting each limb and checking for their oruborous on their left thigh. A subtle smoothing of the material of the clothing they had created to cover their body let them know they were indeed back to normal.

 _Almost normal, I can tell I'm still very weak, even if I'm not a parasite any more, I can't take my unleashed form, and my strength and regenerative abilities are almost nonexistent like this. I don't even know if I can shape shift very easily without more stones._ Envy chewed their lower lip lightly, opting to not inform any of the humans of their current situation. There wasn't any point in volunteering dangerous information if they didn't absolutely have to.

The humans were looking at them with a mixture of awe and tension in their expressions. Envy was momentarily amused by their faces, but tried to keep their smug mood to themselves. Their quiet moment of glee was broken by the feeling of a hand enclosing around their right arm, followed quickly by an uncomfortable shackle clicking tightly around the same wrist. Envy's eyes went wide as Mustang promptly placed a companion manacle around their left wrist, securing them in cuffs connected by a length of heavy chain. A look of confusion was abruptly replaced by a deep scowl, which the Flame Alchemist met evenly.

"Did you forget the arrangement all ready? I don't want any arguments, or any back talk from your blabbering mouth, you're going to come with me, to a cell, for the rest of the night, and tomorrow we'll start working on that penance you're going to be serving." The growl in Mustang's voice was severe, his tone full of the promise of swift punishment should Envy try to be defiant. Though the homunculus outwardly conceded, sliding easily off the table and allowing Mustang to guide them out of the room by a firm hand around their upper left arm, inwardly they were seething at the belittling attitude the human had taken with them.

 _Just because I'm cooperating doesn't mean I don't deserve to be treated with some respect, these damn military types. I'll show you Roy Mustang, I can make this difficult for you too._ Their footsteps echoed in the hall way that led to the cell block. Envy was escorted into a narrow prison cell with barely enough space for the wooden cot that rested against the back wall, and enough flooring to pace if they chose to do so. They sat down with a huff on the wooden cot, lifting their head to gaze from their bound wrists to the bared door. On the other side sat Mustang, regarding them with the same scowl he had worn most of the time since they were in the tunnel. Envy arched a brow as they realized that the man wasn't making any effort to leave. It was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter three

The night had been a true test of wills, the first several hours of which had passed in palpable silence between prisoner and warden. Envy's gaze had initially remained locked with Mustang's in a mute stare down but the battle had quickly become tedious to the homunculus. They were frustrated, exasperated truthfully, over the circumstances of their new future and the resolute and stubborn refusal of anyone to tell them a single piece of information about the matters they were actually concerned with. Envy couldn't have been less interested in their new mission of atonement that the humans had planned for them, all they wanted was information on their family.

 _Did any of the others survive?_ The question gnawed at their thin patience, droning in their skull with increasing demand until they could hold their silence no longer.

Abruptly, Envy lurched to their feet with a suddenness that drew Mustang's gloved hands up into the air. The movement of his fingers into a position where snapping was only seconds from bringing a scalding hot demise to their being caused an immediate halt in their approach to the cell bars, and they spared him a glance that held more fear in it than they would ever have wished to allow, but the memory of his fire was suddenly fresh in their brain and they dared not test the alchemist now. Cautiously, Envy sat back down on the floor of their cell and gnawed at their lower lip a long while before glancing back toward their warden.

"I want to know who else survived." Willing their voice to be more confident didn't seem to be working, but Envy ignored the tone of raw nervousness and pressed onward. "I know that Wrath and Pride were waiting with Father, I know Greed had betrayed us all again, but no one will tell me what happened to them. Where are they?"

Mustang stared evenly at them, his expression cold and unyielding. His hand had returned to his lap at least, Envy noted, but there was no forthcoming verbalization. The homunculus felt anger welling up inside of them, outrage at being pointedly ignored steadily overwhelming their fear. They bared their teeth and clenched their bound hands into fists.

"I know you heard me! Where are they?! I've been sitting here for hours with you! Say something! I just want to know if they're alive!" Desperation wasn't a term Envy liked to apply to themselves, but it crept into their tone without regard to their sense of personal dignity.

Mustang remained silent and the time marched on with a steady tick-tock of hushed minutes.

The man took the passage of time in stride, regarding his captive with an air of cold disdain that the homunculus found to be grating on their fragile ego. They shifted under his gaze, scratching their nails against the floor and huffing loudly as they looked from the cot on the wall, to the stone walls, to their bars, and finally back to Mustang's scowling visage. To avoid his stare they attempted pacing the length of their cell, but doing so only emphasized their captivity and added to their agitation. With a loud clanking of their chain, Envy collapsed into a heap in the farthest corner of their cell and scowled at the wall in mute fury. Their mind was whirling with questions and the lack of information was eroding their small sense of stability.

 _This would be a lot easier if he would say something! Look at him! Just sitting there like a rock! Isn't he going to sleep? He's human isn't he?!_ Adopting a more perplexed expression, they tilted their head slightly and addressed their warden. "Aren't you tired by now? I'm not going anywhere, and you won't answer my questions, in fact, you haven't said anything at all! So at least go to sleep and quit staring at me, it's uncomfortable!"

Roy leaned forward in his chair, resting his gloved hands on his knees as he gazed evenly across the distance at his captive. Envy couldn't contain the twitch in their face at his scrutiny, and the faint trace of a smirk on his lips that caused made their breath hiss out between their teeth. Taking in a deep breath, the man lifted his head and narrowed his dark eyes.

"I'm pleased to see you still have a strong sense of fear for me, that should make keeping you in line easier. I'm not going to stoop to your level and get into a petty argument with you, homunculus. You haven't earned any answers to your questions, you haven't earned any sense of compassion or dignity from me, and only time will tell if you ever do. As for sleep, I've gone without it before, I can do so again tonight." Roy's voice held a mixture of arrogance and irritation in it that Envy felt like a hammer striking at their spine.

"I don't want to earn your compassion!" The vitriol clawed out from their throat with each syllable, fueled by the stress of their continued confinement. "All I want is-!"

"All **you** want is to have a chance to slip away! A chance to go back to causing pain and misery everywhere you step foot! An opportunity to kill again!" Mustang's voice was accompanied by an abrupt movement from his chair, his right hand came up, index finger pointed accusingly at his startled captive. He continued, the steady tone of his voice wavering with inflections of fury. "You think I actually believe that a homunculus could change for the better? Do you actually think that I want to guard you all the time like this? I **know** what you are! You started a genocide, you murdered my friend, you plotted to destroy this entire country, you caused suffering at every possible opportunity and you enjoyed it! You reveled in it! So don't think for a moment that I believe you can change! You are nothing but a monster, an ugly, twisted beast clawing for its own survival; but mark my words, Envy, I'm right here, and when you slip I will bring you right back to where you belong. Did you forget so easily what can happen to you? What **will** happen to you, if you make a single mistake?"

To say his words and threats unnerved them would have been an understatement. Perhaps if they had not already endured consecutive deaths at his hand they might have laughed at his posturing and his scowling visage, but Envy was no longer a being who had the luxury of not knowing terror first hand. They recalled full well how it felt to be caught within the fires of his rage, to be trapped beneath the crushing pressure of his boot and the piercing glare of his hatred. That look, albeit less murderous, was still visible in his glare. Envy swallowed thickly, regretting their earlier outbursts, wishing they could put some sort of barrier between them and their warden. Everything was too exposed in their small cell, there were no places to tuck away from his dark eyes, they were fully exposed to his disgust and it served to make them feel as small and wretched as it had in the tunnels.

After a tense silence passed between them, Mustang sat down and returned to watching at his prisoner with a resolute frown, and Envy twitched and fidgeted in a mixture of renewed fear and anger. Their chained wrists began to ache, the metal of their manacles chaffing their skin any time they moved their hands. Misery was not a companion they were fond of entertaining, but they were beginning to understand its presence all too well. Their wordless sentinel kept his watchful gaze locked on their every movement, minimal as they were. Envy didn't feel confident enough to speak again, simply running their tongue over their lips a few times or shifting their weight against the wall of their cell. Their gaze swept across the room, fleetingly meeting Mustang's own for only a moment.

Inwardly, they felt bitterly betrayed by everyone, their stressful situation stirring up a litany of colorful curses and angry thoughts. _Why am I having to put up with this?! The pipsqueak said it was going to be a second chance for me! He promised I would be fine! He lied-they ALL lie! Humans can't ever be trusted to tell the truth, they just scratch around for the next chance to knock you down to their level! Mustang! What's he plotting now? I HATE him! I hate that smug look he has, like he's so superior just because I'm in here and he's out there. If things were reversed I'd make him scream, he'd be begging for forgiveness for what he did to me-no, not just to me, to her! To LUST! I never got to punish him for her death, why didn't Father let me and Gluttony go after him? Oh, sacrifice-right, ha! How did THAT turn out Father? You should have let us kill him. Things would have been different, and you could have brought Lust back!_ Their thoughts raced, memories of their sister pervading their mind.

Time seemed to slow and all thoughts of Mustang and their cell faded away as their focus centered around the tall, dark form of the sultry homunculus. Lust had been so strong, unfalteringly proud and confident in her abilities and objectives. At times, long ago when Envy was young and had been feeling particularly detestable, Lust had been the one to tear out the pain, pull them from the mire in their mind and shake a sense of self-worth into their core. She was their anchor point in that time, the calm smooth tone of her voice subduing the doubts and loathing that had plagued their consciousness, and they had followed her with more devotion than they had held for any of the others. So many flashes of memory were buried under the passage of the years, too many conversations and quiet moments between them, back before Gluttony had been created, Lust had truly been their closest sense of family. Had things not changed, had Greed not abandoned them all, had Lust not become more guarded afterward, maybe they would have tried harder to show her how grateful they were for everything she had done for them.

 _He took you away, Lust, he destroyed you. I couldn't do anything about it, and it's not fair! He took you away from us, from me! I want you back! It's NOT FAIR!_ Without meaning too, their fists clenched tightly enough to strain their knuckles, and their breath pulled in shallow sharp inhales. The sadness of her loss was heavy to bear, more so than their chains, and it fought to make itself known, the telltale prick of moisture welling up in their narrowed eyes. Envy blinked rapidly to rid themselves of the tears before they could spill over. They wouldn't weep in front of that man again. Whether it was from battling the steady wave of despair and bitterness sweeping up over them, or the exhaustion of their confinement that caused it, Envy passed the rest of the night in a sullen silence that drew a curious and intent observation from their warden, but they didn't have the energy to acknowledge him anymore.

Dawn was announced not by sun light greeting their dismal location, but by Mustang's sharp voice breaking the stillness that had pervaded their prison.

"It's time Envy. Get on your feet and stand back against the wall." He stood near the door, key fitted in the lock as he watched them slowly rise and wait where he had instructed. Envy wasn't certain where they were going to be taken, and they wanted to question him, but hesitated considering their previous evening. They watched the door to their cell swing open, the bars held firmly in a gloved hand.

"Step out here and place your hands on top of your head. I want to see them at all times. We are going to walk down this corridor and go up a flight of stairs. You will walk slowly and make no attempt to escape or fight, is that clear?" Mustang's stern tone received nothing but a frown and a sharp nod from his captive, and then he continued. "Once upstairs we will take a short walk to the room where you will be processed."

As they exited their cell and brought their hands up to their scalp Envy's brows furrowed together. They didn't know what to make of that word and their curiosity was mingled with a knotted feeling in the pit of their stomach. Something about the way it was said made them uneasy. Mustang took the chain between their arms and placed it behind their back, the cold metal sent a shiver down their spine as it draped over their bared skin. Suddenly, Mustang's hand darted out to catch hold of their jaw. The move was unexpected and aggressive, jarring them into a tensed posture as they attempted to arch as far away from him as possible, their hands clasped around his arm with a defensive grip, though they dared not pry his hand off. He squeezed slowly, leaning in close and lowering his voice to a harsh whisper.

"If you fight this, if you make any attempt to injure anyone, I will reduce you back into that filthy leech form, do you understand me? You have no say in this matter, no rights here, and I don't want to hear a single word from your mouth." He gave their head a slight jerk before releasing his grip and standing up straight at their side. "Walk Envy."

The journey they made was silent save for the ominous echo of their footsteps. Along the way Envy couldn't help but mull over their situation and fret about what was to come. Abruptly, Mustang's hand came out to pull them to a halt before a solid wooden door, which he knocked on once before grasping the brass knob and turning it. As he pushed the door open, he placed his other hand against the small of their back and ushered them into the room.

The first thing they noted was the dull white of the walls, not a pristine sort of white, but the faded, dingy color of decaying egg shells. The light wasn't particularly bright, but it illuminated enough to allow them to clearly make out several desks stacked with books and files on one side of the room, and a heavy, yellowed curtain that had been set up as a barricade to whatever was tucked on the opposite side. There were several humans in the room, all wearing long white coats, some also sporting gloves and masks. Envy blinked owlishly at their appearance for a split second before realization began to set in.

 _Lab coats-these are doctors? Scientists? Why are they-wait, no-NO! Is he going to have them experiment on me?! This is processing?!_ Fearfully they turned to look at their warden's grim expression, their body tensing in preparation to fight or flee.

"Be still Envy, remember, if you disobey me in any way you will regret it more than if you just submit now." The Flame alchemist's tone was threatening, his warning accompanied by the firm pressure of his hand enclosing around their upper right arm. They sucked in a slow breath, seconds passing by in silence as their gazes locked-one hostile and commanding, the other agitated and panicked. Envy pushed back as they released the air in their lungs, twisting violently within Mustang's grasp in a bid to lurch back toward the door. Consequences or not, they couldn't bear to willingly be experimented on. Their chained wrists strained as they attempted to reach for the door knob, only to claw desperately at the air as they were hauled off the floor and carried away from their only escape route.

In shock they realized that Mustang had managed to hoist them up around their waist and lift them from the floor with surprisingly little effort. It was a cold slap of reality that served to remind them of how far they had fallen, how weak they had truly become. Never outside of their parasitic form had anyone been able to physically move them before.

 _If he can just pick me up like this what else can they do to me?! How am I so weak? What can I do?_ They struggled, kicking and arching to free themselves in vain as they were brought behind the curtain and thrown roughly onto a cold surface. Their bound wrists were quickly hoisted up above their head, the chain locked onto a hook dangling from the ceiling. Envy found the tension on their chain forced them onto their knees on the hard metal floor. As they adjusted to the pressure on their arms and shoulders they felt another set of cuffs enclosing around each ankle, effectively trapping them into their kneeling position. Frantically, their eyes scanned around at the masked faces surrounding them. Outrage and horror mingled together in the pit of their stomach, their face contorting into a deadly scowl as they lurched against their confinement and screeched in fury.

"Don't touch me! Don't you dare touch me! I'll kill you if you-!"

Their threat was cut off by the resounding sound of a slap as the back of Mustang's hand collided with their left cheek. The blow jolted their entire head to the side where it remained, slightly downcast as they inhaled harsh breaths and felt the trickle of metallic fluid against their tongue.

 _I'm bleeding, he split my lip._ Blinking, the homunculus slowly raised their head in order to gaze at the face of their warden. His eyes held no compassion, no sympathy, only cold disgust, and anger. Mustang reached out and dug his fingers into the strands of their hair, pulling forcefully to maneuver their head in whichever direction he pleased. They hissed in pain as their head was yanked left and right, their gaze sweeping about to take note of the five humans in lab coats standing around them and the tables placed behind them against the wall, though they couldn't make out what instruments were waiting on their shadowed surfaces.

"Consider that the final warning I will give you. Threats will not be taken lightly homunculus. You let anymore out and I'll burn your tongue. Think back to how it felt the first time, I know you can remember." His voice was low, sharp and dangerous. Envy swallowed thickly, straining against the hold he had on their hair and trying not to let their fear show in their eyes. When they remained silent and still under his gaze, Mustang seemed to be satisfied and released his tight grasp. Their scalp ached from the force he had exerted on them, but they remained quiet, waiting in great trepidation of what would come next.

One of the doctors stepped closer to the colonel, Envy observed that the man had a thick pair of wire rimmed glasses on his narrow nose, and thinning gray hairs on his head. He cleared his throat a bit before attempting to address Mustang, though both men kept their eyes trained on the bound homunculus.

"We've collected the basic notes from the various reports that were sent over beforehand, but this will be something of an invasive examination. Are you certain my people are going to be safe?"

Envy blinked, their nostrils flaring at the word invasive. Their violet eyes locked onto Mustang as he replied, his steady gaze unwavering and merciless.

"I gave you my word I would keep him under control. Your team has full permission to do what is necessary to complete a thorough study of the homunculus. I can't take him out into the public if I don't have the proper information on him. I need to know everything you can determine, weaknesses, abilities we may not have seen during battle, physical notations, whatever you can find will be useful, so I will make certain he behaves." The implications of his words were all too clear, not that they had pretended the situation could be leading to anything other than experimentation, but now they began to fear the worst.

 _Are they going to dissect me? Do they want my stone? It's just information they need, isn't it? They could just ask! They don't have to do this..!_ Their lips parted in an attempt to speak, to voice their willingness to share information for the sake of saving themselves undue pain, but their words died in their throat as the group of humans began moving all at once around them. Envy watched in growing horror as a female with dark brown hair pulled into a high bun brought a tray over to the doctor with the glasses. The man reached down and picked up a scalpel, turning his attention briefly toward another, younger looking man to his left.

"Make detailed notes of everything." His attention returned to Envy as he approached, his fascinated gaze locking with their wide eyes for a moment before focusing instead on their torso. The hand holding the scalpel extended toward them as they shut their eyes tightly, refusing to watch what was about to happen.

"Well Colonel Mustang, everyone, let's begin."


	4. Chapter four

The press of the scalpel was ice cold against their skin as it nudged under the hem of their fitted top and slid gently upward, slicing the material cleanly in half from the bottom to the top, halfway up their throat. Surprised that they hadn't yet been cut, Envy cracked one eye open and risked a glance at the man crouched before them. He was clearly focused on carefully slicing away the sections of their clothing that kept their top around their shoulders, but he was taking cautious effort not to damage their skin. Shuffling footsteps, pen scratches against paper, and soft breathing could be heard just behind their back, and they uttered a startled hiss when the pressure of hands became evident against their body.

"Doctor, the markings on the shoulder blades and the spine appear both on the material and the flesh." A woman's voice, out of their line of sight, but clearly intrigued. The man kneeling before them replaced the scalpel on the tray and looked past them toward the sound of her voice, he nodded once, then placed his hands on their rib cage, taking hold of the fabric of their top.

"Let's see how this goes then." He quickly pushed the material backward, peeling it from their body like the rind from a piece of fruit. There was a distinctly uncomfortable pulling sensation along their body, particularly where the markings on their back melded through the material. Envy grit their teeth together and willed themselves not to complain, not to show distress in front of the humans. A moment or two after they had removed the top from their torso, their ears detected the tell-tale sizzling of alchemic reaction. No longer connected to the stone powering its creation, the material began to dissolve into an ash like substance and fade away. The surprise of the humans was almost amusing, though Envy would have enjoyed it better if they weren't chained down and still at risk of injury.

"Did you make notes of that? Good. Alright then, cut the rest of it all off, we may as well get a look at what we're dealing with here."

Envy jerked at the order, squirming around in their bindings as several pairs of gloved hands began working to either pull off or cut away what clothing they had left on their body. _What are they doing?!_ Their shock finally brought their voice back, a sharp, indignant outrage lacing their words.

"Get your hands off me! **Stop** that!" Despite their scowling and twisting about, their clothing was successfully striped from their body, leaving their pale form exposed to the scrutiny of all in the room, including the stone-faced colonel. Envy's gaze faltered when they met his eyes, humiliation forcing them to look away as their dark hair fell freely around their naked body. They could feel heat creeping into their face as they knelt on the metal flooring. Gloved fingers curiously brushed against their back, moving their long hair aside to trace the shape of the markings that were a unique part of their body.

"Doctor, the symbol is a trio of circular nodes connected by lines that form a v-like design between the scapula and the vertebra. Each node appears to have a small inner circle ringed by a larger one. The texture is smooth, warmer than the flesh around it, and slightly raised." The woman's voice again. They growled softly at her touch, satisfied when her hand quickly retreated from stroking their skin.

"Keep your hands **OFF ME**!" Snarling, the homunculus jerked violently against their restraints, their movement severely hampered by the position they were forcibly tethered into. "You damn humans, filthy trash, touching me like I'm some kind of rodent you can toy with!" Finding no slack in their restraints, they began to crackle with energy from their stone, though they could feel the sluggishness of the transformation, it was still reshaping their arms, that is, until a sudden explosive pain erupted across their abdomen. They hunched forward as much as their bindings would allow, air and saliva spilling from their mouth as they focused on the boot planted firmly against their stomach. The wheeze of their next breath was cut short as the boot was removed, only to return a second time, striking harder, the force bouncing their knees against the floor. Mustang's face came into their line of sight and they flinched away from the fury in his gaze. _He's going to burn me!_

"The only filthy thing in this room is **you** , homunculus. Try that again and I will set you ablaze. Now shut your mouth and be still!" Mustang's threat was a guarantee more than a warning, Envy more than understood, and nodded to show it as they coughed and spat out the bile that had risen to the back of their mouth.

The doctor and his team wasted little time getting back to work, their hands exploring, moving Envy's hair up and out of the way as they poked and examined every inch of their form. Someone brought a small, luminous light over and held it above them at an angle that shone down into their face, forcing them to squint at the brightness of it. Some bold soul reached out to hold their chin steady, as their lids were forced to open wide and allow the light to shine straight into one of their eyes.

"Large eyes, violet in color, slit pupils. Cat like, or snake like, but they constrict normally in bright light."

"Do you see this? The skin of the pelvic region is completely smooth, no definable genitalia, no scars, nothing. Fascinating. The pectorals are also smooth, it's like a doll's body, intriguing."

"The triangular marking on the center of the forehead is made of the same structures as the symbol on the back, though the pattern is different."

"The mark on the left thigh is the one described in the documents. A dragon biting its tail, encircling a six pointed star."

"Oruborous. I believe that's the symbol noted in the Elric reports."

 _I hate you! I hate you all! I'll kill you for touching me, just wait!_ Being discussed and prodded this way was difficult to endure. Envy wanted to strike them all down for it, and their muscles trembled with their anger, but one glance at Mustang kept them still, their fingers fisting around their chain tightly. _Stop staring at me like that!_

A frigid piece of metal was pressed against their shoulder blades, eliciting a gasp from them at the cold sensation. They hissed in indignant anger while the humans moved the flat metal object into various positions along their back. They could hear soft mumbling behind them, counting. Curiosity edged along the irritation brewing in their mind. _They're taking measurements? For what purpose?_ A sudden series of flashes blinded them momentarily, causing them to jerk their head to the side and blink in a bit of a daze. The odor of chemicals assaulted their nostrils and they were blearily aware of the humans moving around them with several standing cameras.

"Preliminary examination of the homunculus is complete. If you would please bring the equipment, we will begin the second phase." The doctor stepped back as his team scurried about, moving several wheeled trays closer to Envy's position. They craned their neck about, trying to get a glimpse of what might be on the trays, but were unsuccessful. One of the humans reached down between their knees and removed a cover off the flooring that they hadn't noticed previously, exposing a circular drainage grate. Envy's eyes widened at the implications and they glanced around in renewed anxiety. _What are they going to do to me?_

Their alarm was justified when an unexpected pain jolted through their right shoulder blade. The sensation was cold and stabbing, jarring their thought process to a halt as they cried out in a mixture of shock and agony. Something had pierced one of the nodes on their back, they could feel their stone attempting to heal the injury, but whatever was causing it was embedded deeply, nullifying the alchemic healing process their body naturally possessed. A slow trickle of blood seeped out from the edges of the wound, sluggishly dripping down the curve of their back.

"Fascinating! Simply astounding!"

"Doctor the hypothesis was correct! The injury isn't healing."

"Yes, but we need to see if the same is true for other parts of the body."

Envy flinched and cried out as several cuts were made in their skin. The purpose for the grate became all too clear as blood dripped steadily from precise slashes on their legs, torso, and upper arms. The flicker of crimson energy from their stone arced up around the wounds, but was ineffective at healing any of them. _Stop! That hurts!_

"So they are connected to its abilities after all. Very well, hand me the next needle."

Fighting against the inevitable was a futile effort, but Envy made a show of trying to writhe away from the next two punctures to their back. They twisted in their restraints, cursing, and whimpering at their inability to free themselves. _I have to get out of here before this gets any worse!_ Focusing on their body, the homunculus attempted to call on their shape shifting power, willing their form to change, even if it meant risking Mustang's fury, they had to get away, they had to at least try, they couldn't just submit, it wasn't in their nature to just submit to torture like this. To their shock, they remained exactly as they were, bound, in their preferred form, and under the scrutiny of the humans in the room.

"Did you make note of that? Those fluctuations of energy around it? I'm going to make the assumption that we've blocked the transformation ability it has. This is all intriguing, let's move on, pierce them all."

Terror raced up their spine at the doctor's order. _No! Leave me alone! Stop this!_ In horror, they watched the doctor's hand come closer to their head, a thick needle held between his fingers.

 _No, no-no-NO!_ "Stop! Don't do this! **STOP**! **NO**!" They shook their head from side to side, struggling until a pair of hands forced them to be still long enough for the sharp end of the needle to slide into place. Two more were inserted, and the energy of their stone seemed to be caged, all the strength rushing from their body as it went slack against their restraints. Their fingers twitched slightly, and they could grimace as they hung limply in their bindings, but every attempt they made to move their arms or legs failed.

 _It hurts! What did they do to me?! This-I can't move! What is this!? Take them out! Stop it! I don't like this, why can't I move? What have they done?!_ Fear washed over them as they knelt, unable to control their limbs and at the mercy of the doctor and his team. Hands pulled their chin up, positioning their head in a way that allowed them to look upon several curious faces. They wanted to scowl, but the glint of a scalpel had their eyes widening in fear again. The blade came closer, then pressed against the upper part of their neck and sliced inward.

Envy screamed.

The sound of their shriek was cut off as the blade cut through their vocal chords, the resulting gurgle of sliced tissue and flowing blood filling their ears as the doctor continued to cut, working his way through their throat till the blade began to slide right, then left. Something hard and metal was pushed into the wound, forcing it to widen. Envy's eyes were open wide, rapid blinking doing nothing to stave off the steady flow of tears pouring down their cheeks. Their mouth was open in a nearly silent scream, the occasional gurgle of their damaged vocal chords breaking the silence of the room. Their fingers clawed at the air in jerky twitches, the only movement they could make to show their distress. Amongst the cut layers of sinew and flesh of their neck, the brilliant glow of their Philosopher's stone shown in the light, glinting as it pulsed with energy and flooded power through the veins sprouting out of it like roots.

Pressure was applied to their stone, they weren't sure what was stroking against the surface of it, but the feeling of it being touched was utterly violating, it coiled a knot of revulsion in their gut and brought on a wash of fresh tears and a sputtering sob that couldn't fully form due to their injuries. Blood spilled down the front of their chest, pattering against the metal floor before pooling around the grate. Tears, snot, and saliva leaked from their face as they waited for their agonizing examination to end, helplessly enduring every touch, every pinch, every flash of photography, every moment of exposure.

 _No more, stop! Let me heal! Take them out!_ Their eyes searched frantically about the faces they could see, finding Mustang's gaze at last and imploring him to end their suffering. Through their tears it was difficult to read his expression, and they couldn't be certain if he was grimacing out of disgust or something else, but he did reach out and place a hand on the doctor's shoulder, offering a gruff command.

"This is sufficient."

Relief rocked their mind as the doctor nodded and began working with his team to remove the object forcing their throat open and the numerous needles embedded in their body. Their stone pulsated energy through their form, healing the various cuts and knitting muscle and flesh back together. Strength slowly returned to their limbs and they uttered a soft moan as they shuddered at the phantom touch of fingers against their stone. Envy kept their eyes downcast, watching as the blood on the grate dried and slowly turned to ash. They felt drained, weak, and thoroughly exhausted. The doctor and his team were shuffling around the room, gathering their instruments and documents together.

"I want the records from the examination on my desk as soon as you have all of your documentation assembled. If you have any further details to discuss you know how to reach me. I'll take the homunculus now." Mustang's tone was detached, lacking empathy or malice, and Envy found that they were grateful for his emotionlessness as their chain was removed from the hook and their ankles freed. They stood slowly, a tremor notable in their body as they fell into step with their warden.

Once out in the hall way, Mustang surprised them by taking hold of their chin once again, forcing their head up to look them in the eyes. His face was unreadable as he scrutinized them, and Envy's throat felt dry as they attempted to swallow. _What now?_

"You took that better than I anticipated. I had every expectation that I would have to burn you at least once, but you managed to behave." He sounded genuinely surprised, then abruptly frowned. "You're fine now aren't you? Your stone is working, so unless you want to parade around naked you should give yourself some clothing."

Envy blanched at the comment, realizing with a rush of heated shame that they had neglected to repair their clothing in the wake of their examination. They scowled in their embarrassment, their cheeks a bright red as they quickly created a duplicate of their preferred outfit over their body. Mustang's snort of mocking amusement wasn't lost on them and they bristled with indignation, jerking their face away from his hand.

"That was torture, you know that." They scowled at him, their posture tense despite the weariness they felt. The colonel gave them a long, hard stare before reaching out to collect the chain dangling between their wrists and tug it forward, yanking them in close.

"It's **nothing** compared to all the Ishvalan people you had experimented on, tortured, and used to make stones in the laboratories. Did their screams make you feel pity? Did the sight of their wounds and their blood bring you remorse? What about the prisoners you used for other experiments? Did you think it was torture to strip them from their bodies? Did you feel sorry over it?" His words were laced with anger, and Envy responded to the questioning with a bewildered expression.

 _I'm not at fault for all of that! He's blaming me for everything!?_ They shook their head, slowly exchanging their surprise for a frown. "You're not being fair about this, Colonel Mustang. I didn't touch any of those insects, and besides! Those prisoners were sentenced to death! So what if they became armor soldiers! Why do you care!?"

"Because you had no right! You think you're so superior to humans, even now you still think that way! You think you were on some higher level of existence? Playing at being a god?!" Mustang's outrage grew with the intensity of his voice.

"My Father was a god! He **gave** you miserable fools the alchemy you cling to! He gave you everything! He gave it to you and he took it back! He-!" Envy's snarl was cut off by an open palmed slap to the face. They whipped their head back to face their warden, only to be slapped again. Mustang took hold of their hair with his free hand and shook them forcefully.

"Your father was a **monster**! Just like **you are**!" He tightened his grip in their hair, forcing a groan from their lips as he pressed them painfully against the wall. "And don't forget, you turned on him in the end. You obviously didn't have that much faith in him, did you Envy? So what kind of god could he have been, if his own offspring couldn't stand by him?"

Those cynical words cut deep, shocking them into silence. Envy gazed at Mustang's smoldering expression and found no spiteful comeback to retort with. They lowered their gaze, mulling over his words as he finally removed his hand from their hair and used the grip on their chain to force them down the hall at a steady pace. They stumbled on the stairs, hopping slightly as he hauled them out into the late afternoon sun. A car was waiting for them with the engine running, the familiar face of one of Mustang's closest subordinates greeting them with her usual stern look.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, is everything ready?"

"Yes sir, the location has been prepared to your specifications."

"Good, let's get going then, it's a long drive out of the city." Mustang turned his attention to his captive and ushered them toward the car with a gruff command. "Get in the back Envy, be quiet now, I'm tired of your voice."

Hawkeye held the door open as Mustang shoved them into the back seat and then joined them, sitting beside them and waiting as the lieutenant took her seat behind the steering wheel and began driving them all down the main road from the facility they had spent the night in. Envy had no idea where they were headed, but considering how easily angered Mustang became with them, they assumed it might be wiser to obey for the time being and keep their thoughts to themselves. They focused their attention on the scenery as it flashed past their window, frowning sullenly.

 _I knew it was going to be terrible with him. Now that woman's here too and they're whisking me off to who-knows-where. They aren't even talking, why is everyone so silent around here? It's so boring. I wonder if this is another type of Mustang-contrived torture? Bore the homunculus to death. At least I have a view-oh look-a tree. There's a bush, and a rock, another tree-oh a sheep! There's another one, and that's a black sheep. More sheep, and lots of plain, boring, grassy hills. This is what I turned on father for-torture, boredom, and sheep hills._

The combination of the engine hum and the gentle bouncing of the car began to have an impact on their weary mind, lulling at the edges of their focus as the scenery seemed to meld into one bland green and blue blotch of color. Envy didn't intend to do so, but their mouth opened wide in a rather loud yawn, accompanied by several blinks of their eyelids in a bid to stave off their exhaustion. They kept their face pressed close to the window, their forehead resting on the cool glass at an angle that allowed them to see Mustang's profile in the reflective surface. He was scrutinizing them again.

 _Does he have to bore into me like this all the time? He has a serious staring problem, and I should let him know it! Except-I don't want him to hit me again. I shouldn't care, I shouldn't be afraid of him! He's just a stupid human! One good strike and he would be dead-but he's beaten me so many times already, and I'm so tired anyway. Maybe I'll just close my eyes a little, and then I'll wake up and this will be a nightmare, I'll be back with Gluttony, and Lust! Father will be plotting with Pride and Wrath, Sloth will be complaining about having to dig, and Greed will be running and hiding from us like the rat he is._

It was a wonderful fantasy to imagine that things were as they had been less than a year ago, but Envy didn't get the chance to fully slip into sleep before a hand was roughly tugging at them, shaking them into alertness. They blinked a few times, frowning at Mustang as he gave them a stern look and squeezed their shoulder.

"We'll be arriving shortly, I'm not carrying you inside, so you may as well keep your eyes open." He released them, folding his arms over his chest and focusing on the road ahead.

Curiosity ebbed into their mind and the homunculus shifted around on their seat, leaning around to see past the driver's seat as the lieutenant pulled the car off the road and onto a gravel parkway. A large wood and brick house stood nestled between several groupings of trees. It appeared to have two levels and an attic, if they could guess by the shuttered windows in the roofing, and several of the lights on the first floor were lit, which could only have one implication. _More of Mustang's cronies are here, wonderful._

They turned to look at their warden as the car came to a halt and the engine was shut off, meeting his raised eyebrows with a sour expression. Hawkeye pulled the door open on their side, and the colonel ushered them out with a firm hand around their upper right arm. They made a small effort to shrug out of his hold, more to make a display of their displeasure than to try and escape. Mustang only snorted in response and tightened his grip, striding forward, and hauling his scowling captive along. Riza Hawkeye's steps fell into place behind them as they strode up the stairs to the porch and into the foyer of the house.

The entry way was a testament to the entirety of the house, minimally decorated, suitable furnishings for basic living and comfort but no serious effort applied to taste or style. Envy couldn't exactly call it a dump considering they had lived a vast majority of their life in underground tunnels filled with mechanical pipes and chimeras, but they gave the place a sneer of contempt all the same as they were marched from the foyer through a narrow hallway and into the sitting room. Settled onto the faded floral print couch and arm chairs of the room were several humans, some of whom Envy didn't exactly recall by name, but knew they were part of Mustang's handpicked team. The one with the scruffy four o'clock shadow and half-finished cigarette they did remember, he had been Lust's information target shortly before her death.

"Jean Havoc." The name spilled over their lips like a curse, startling the man in the middle of his greeting to Mustang. The colonel's sharp gaze locked onto them, but they ignored it, glaring and jostling their chain as they gestured at the uneasy man with their bound hands. "You were paralyzed, Lust stabbed your spine! How are you-ah!" They jerked their attention around to their warden, fisting their hands and shaking their head as he stared at them coolly. "You used a Philosopher's stone on him, didn't you!? You just wiped away everything! Every trace of what she did? Just like that!? You humans think you're so resilient, huh?!"

"Envy, it would be **wise** for you to shut your mouth. Now." His tone was stern, but they could see the storm in his dark eyes and knew it would be better to bite their tongue before they put their foot in too deeply. Mustang's gaze lingered on them, holding their own until they huffed and glared at the floor. The tension in the room seemed to hang thickly until Havoc coughed and made his way over to slap the colonel on the shoulder in welcome.

"Roy, I don't even know how you got stuck with this assignment, but we'll all be here for you, and uh…it's nice to see you? Envy, was it?" Jean gave them a curious look, obviously trying to think back on when he had met the homunculus.

Rolling their eyes, they snorted at his attempts to be congenial, sneering contemptuously around the room until Mustang's hand enclosed around their arm once again. They blinked up at him, surprised to find his face so close to their own. His breath was hot against their skin as it puffed out past his lips.

"You don't have enough manners to be here, obviously. I also recall you complaining about being tired in the car." He stood up straight, turning and stalking across the room toward the stairwell, dragging the homunculus along at a pace that had them stumbling over their own feet just to keep up with his longer stride. "Say good night Envy." The sarcastic remark caught them off guard, a sudden flush staining their cheeks as they scurried up the steps with him and rounded the turn of the second-floor hall way.

"What?! Good ..night..? Hey! Stop dragging me around!" Complaining did little to alleviate the hurried pace he had adopted as they came to the final door of the hall. The door was opened and Mustang ushered them in by the small of their back, ignoring their scowl with his usual dismissive attitude. He flipped on a light switch, illuminating the room in a warm glow from the ceiling lamp. "You know, I really don't appreciate being man-handled like some wayward mutt on a leash." They snapped.

Mustang turned a curious look toward them, slowly removing his military jacket to drape it over the back of a wooden chair positioned next to a small dresser. He rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and folded his arms over his chest.

"Is that so? From where I'm standing that's exactly what I'm seeing, a beast, on a leash, snarling and growling at everyone because its angry and not getting its way." His lips quirked up into a smirk as Envy bristled at the insult. "Now before you go spouting off at the mouth and get your ass in deeper trouble, I suggest you consider a few things." His warning tone brought their irritation to a pause, their eyes focused intently on him as he walked across the room to a narrow bed with a large metal frame. He turned, examining them with a thoughtful expression. "Come here."

Initially, they balked at the command, but as irrational as it was their feet seemed to be in revolt against their brain, carrying them the distance across the wooden floor to stand beside him near the bed. Mustang appeared satisfied with their cooperation, and rewarded them by pulling out a key from the pocket of his uniform trousers. Their eyes widened in shock as he fit the key into their manacles, releasing them from the heavy chains they had worn for the past day. Envy absently massaged their wrists, looking up at him warily. His gaze was harsh, but his tone lacked the violence it had held earlier in the day, a more matter-of-fact attitude seeming to settle over him.

"First, you need to understand that you have no rights here, you don't have any freedom to assault my men, verbally or physically. You lost all of that when you surrendered to my complete authority. Secondly, if you do insist on being a foul-tempered, belligerent being, there will be consequences. For example, you've lost the privilege of staying in the room and hearing what the plans are for the next week. Your attitude is more than I'm willing to tolerate. Get into the bed."

Envy's gaze turned from their warden to stare at the bed, and then back to him. Their brows rose in a questioning look, and they couldn't help feeling utterly confounded and slightly embarrassed at the way he was speaking to them. Mustang sighed, bringing one hand up to rub at his left temple.

"You can get in on your own, or I can **put** you in it, but either way, you're going to bed."

Well that had settled it, Envy had no intention of letting the colonel pick them up and stuff them into the bed, they had dealt with enough forceful maneuvering by him for one day. Despite the oddity of the situation, they climbed onto the mattress and laid down on their back, resting their head on the pillow and watching as he leaned down near the head of the bed. To their dismay, he stood up holding a long leather strap in his hands, which was subsequently fastened around their left wrist, fed through the metal bars of the headboard, and tied to their right wrist. He glanced at them briefly as he leaned over their body, clicking his tongue at their scowl.

"Don't act so surly, you didn't think I would leave you free to move around up here did you?" He went around to the base board of the bed, attaching leather bindings to each of their ankles, then securing them to the mattress itself with a large leather strap that was belted down over their waist. Envy grunted, squirming about on the bed to no effect, there was little flexibility in their bindings. _What a moron, does he really think I'm not going to just shape shift my way out of these ridiculous restraints?_

They watched him walk over to the dresser and riffle through the top drawer a moment. They had to crane their neck to keep an eye on him, but soon enough he returned, clenching his fist around an object they couldn't make out. As if he had heard their traitorous thoughts aloud, he leaned in swiftly, and took hold of their chin, brandishing three thick, short needles in his hand. Envy's eyes widened.

"I can't leave you unattended knowing you might try to slip out and escape. The processing proved to be very useful after all, you see." Calmly, he slid the first needle into one of the nodes on their forehead, pushing it through the material of their headband and the flesh beneath. Red crackles of alchemic energy sputtered around the metal intrusion, but were ineffective at fixing the small wound.

"One of the reports I received a while back had contained an interesting account of a battle between the homunculus Greed, and King Bradley, or Wrath, I should say." He pushed in the second needle, his grip on their chin firm as he continued. "In that battle, Greed was impaled through several of the markings on his torso, halting his ability to carbonize his body, it was like the power switch had been shut off." The final needle went in, and Mustang gave Envy's right cheek a condescending pat.

"When all of them were pierced he was incapable of movement, just like you, earlier today. I had you go through processing for several reasons, but one of them was to confirm the theory that Greed's situation wasn't unique to him, that those little lines and circular nodes on your body are directly connected to the powers your Philosopher stone provides you with. I'm satisfied that you'll be staying put now, so get some rest Envy, maybe tomorrow you'll be able to stay civil long enough to learn something about your future."

With that, Mustang tossed a blanket over their body, collected his jacket and then crossed the room to the doorway; flipped off the light switch, and left, shutting the door with a click. Envy laid in the dark, listening to him lock their door, and walk away down the hall.

 _How DARE he talk to me like that?! I'm one hundred and seventy-five years old! I don't have manners? Say good night?! PUT ME TO BED!? I'm not some unruly human child! And that bastard, Havoc! How dare he smile and act like he's perfectly fine! I know what she did to him! Lust! It's like you didn't even matter, everything you did they just wiped away with their alchemy, how do I fight this? They aren't as stupid as I thought. Lust, you were right. You were always right, and I've been such a fool._

In the shadows of their room, Envy finally allowed themselves to express their helplessness and frustration through muffled sobs and tears.

 _Lust, what do I do now? I need you, help me._


	5. Chapter five

The heavy scent of musty earth and damp air filled their nostrils as they carefully walked through the darkened corridors, the echo of their steps resonating within the long hall of cavernous tunnels that sprawled out about them in all directions. They paused before a grouping of arches, pressing a hand to the chilled stone wall as they considered which route to take. Laughter drew their attention to the passageway at their left; a rich, vibrant laugh, sweet as honey and deceptive as a spider's touch. They knew that sound so well. Their steps carried them down the corridor, gaining speed as they became aware of flickering light illuminating the chamber at the end of their path.

Three more steps, two more, one.

The main chamber of their subterranean home was empty, save for the dancing light of candle flames. Their father's throne was partially cast in shadow, the vacant seat connected to the surface of Amestris by fewer pipes and machinery than they remembered. His table was positioned in the circle of conjoining lights, a wide map stretched out over the surface of the wood. They approached, curiously observing the outlines of a younger Amestris, the areas to the west and east still clearly denoted as unconquered territories with strategic movements from the unified central, northern and southern areas plotted out against them. Tilting their head, they brushed their fingers across the defined borders of the country in its current mapped state.

"Who let you out of your pit this time? We come back from a long assignment and your dumb face isn't the first thing I want to see."

The sarcastic drawl drew a sharp inhale from them as they whipped about to face the two figures in the dim light of the archway. Greed's lips pulled back in a mocking sneer as he shoved his hands into his pockets and strolled toward them, pointed teeth bared wide. He loomed over them in the leather-clad cockiness of his original form, attempting to be threatening with his taller stature, and for a moment, in shock, they leaned backward over the table, allowing him to encroach farther into their personal space till they could feel the soft puff of his breath against their skin.

"No sassy come back? What's wrong? Cats got all your tongues?" His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized them, but it was the sharp click of heels on stone that drew the attention of both homunculi to the figure behind him.

Envy surged forward, shoving past Greed to race toward their sister, ignoring his snort of laughter and her surprise as they enveloped her in a tight embrace, their face buried against her shoulder. They could feel the inhale of her breath, the softness of her skin, and smell the unique blend of her scent-sharply alchemic and rich in a heady mix of amber and spices. They felt her fingers lightly brush through their hair before coming to rest against their back.

"Lust, you're here, you're back!"

Her silence brought a frown to their lips as they realized she had become stiff within their arms. Raising their head from her shoulder they looked up to find her face turned to the side, her gaze harsh as she seemed to glare down at them. Envy swallowed, unease crawling up the back of their spine under her silent contempt. They loosened their grip around her; moving their hands to take hold of her own.  
"Why are you looking at me like this? Lust? Say something?"

Their grip tightened, and then collapsed through her hand completely. Envy jerked their attention down at where their palms were clasped around emptiness, opening them to find fading ashes in their grasp. They looked back to their sister, eyes widening in distress as her body began to fracture, fragmenting, and spilling to the ground in a cascade of ash and dust. Unable to cry out, Envy dug their hands into their hair, their legs unsteady as they took a step back from the pile of dissolving ashes. A heavy sobbing filled the room from behind them. Envy turned to see the hunched over, bulbous figure of one of their younger siblings. The sobbing grew louder as they neared him, cautiously reaching out to press their palm to the back of his curved shoulder. His bald head bobbed with his weeping.

"Gluttony, it's me, Envy." Their tone was hushed, apprehension lacing their words as they glanced back toward the now empty place on the floor where Lust had once stood.

Gluttony rounded on them with sudden strength, clinging to their arm as he wailed, his small eyes awash with tears, fluids cascading over the rounded features of his face as he stared up at them in helpless loss.

"Where is she? Where is Lust? Lust! LUST! Bring her back! I want Lust!"

Pulling their arm free was no small feat, and they could only try to consolingly pet Gluttony's head as he cried out in grief, blubbering uncontrollably. They attempted to talk to him, but he would only repeat her name and demand to know where she had gone. Unable to console the increasingly distressed homunculus, Envy slowly backed away from their distraught sibling until they tripped on something hard and fell backward, landing heavily against a solid, frigid mass.

"What the-Sloth?!" They sat back on their knees, observing the unmoving girth that was strewn out on the floor, face down against the stone. Envy frowned, poking a finger against Sloth's arm, only to grow concerned at how cold his skin felt. Everywhere they felt along his arm and back was icy to the touch, frozen and unyielding to any pressure they applied.

"Sloth, you're too cold. Do you hear me? Sloth? Wake up!" They attempted to shake him, slapped his back, and tugged at his hair to no avail. "Sloth..? You are, sleeping, right?"

A knot began to form in their gut as they stood and turned away from the prone form of the large homunculus. Envy took a few steps forward, then spotted the figures of their eldest and youngest family members in an archway of the chamber. Pride and Wrath stood side by side, their backs toward their sibling as they talked together, though Envy couldn't hear their words. They ran forward, relief flooding their mind.

"Pride! Wrath!"

Envy raced toward them, crossing the room only to abruptly crash into an unseen barrier and land roughly on their rear. They groaned, blinking, and reaching out to press their palm against a hard, smooth surface.

"Glass?"

Looking up, they found a wall of thick glass barricading them from their family. Envy cursed, pounding their fists against the impenetrable surface to no effect. They watched, shouting out as Pride and Wrath began to walk through the archway and down the corridor, vanishing into the darkness without ever having glanced their way. Pressing both hands to the glass they slid down to their knees and shook their head, confused and dismayed. A scornful laugh drew their attention to their right, the familiar form of their jeering brother emerging from the shadows to prowl around them in a wide arc.

"What's wrong little worm? Are you sad again? Did someone other than me tell you you're ugly?" Greed crept closer, a carbonized claw reaching out to tap against the tip of their nose. Envy scowled, baring their teeth and swatting at the offending hand. Greed laughed again.

"Come on now, pops wants us to be nice remember? Can't you at least pretend to care?" His fangs split with his open laugh, and to Envy's surprise the noise came out garbled, bubbling and choked off as crimson poured down from his lips and splashed onto the stone at their knees. They stood quickly, looking up to find their sibling staggering, pinned by blades in each of his nodes, his limbs tangled in chains as he tumbled backward, falling into an opening in the floor where a sizzling pool of molten liquid awaited him. His broken, garbled laughter continued as his body sank beneath the bubbling surface of the pool, only this time Envy didn't feel any sense of amusement at watching him die. They shook their head, the low hissing of the pool the only sound in the dimly lit chamber.

"Envy."

A sudden gasp filled their chest with air as they turned toward the sound of her voice, finding her back presented to them. The heavy tresses of her silken hair caressed her body in gentle waves, rippling and bouncing with her movements. She shifted her weight, bringing one gloved hand to rest on the swell of her hip. They gnawed at their lower lip, hesitantly stepping toward her, reaching out, but uncertain if they could hold onto her this time. She turned toward them, her gaze sad, disappointed and accusing.

"Envy, why?"

The question fell from her lips as a flame erupted from her feet, enveloping her figure, ravaging the material of her black gown, and licking at the ends of her hair as she continued to stare them down. Envy cried out, stumbling backward from her burning form, collapsing to their knees, and watching as she reached out from the fire to them. Her skin darkened, charring and crackling in the heated inferno raging over her body. As she burned, she walked toward them, staggering, and finally crumbling to ash within the heat of the fire. The smoldering ashes piled up before them and they placed a trembling hand over them, hearing their own breath hitch in their throat as they tried to say her name.

The ashes stirred, rising, and falling away as the hand, arm, and head of their father emerged from the smoking dust of their sister's remains. He threw himself onto them, catching them around the throat and looming over them with a savage, hungry malice. Envy couldn't breathe, could barely scrabble their fingers against the stone as their creator, their father, looked upon them with vicious intent and disdain. His voice was cold, hard as the force with which he was asphyxiating them.

"You betrayed me, Envy, my child. You must be consumed, remade."

Envy attempted to cry out, to order their limbs to move, to fight back, but their father seemed to grow larger, his mouth opening to a darkened void that crashed down on top of them.

They screamed.

Their eyes opened to the hazy light of dawn spilling through the window in their room. Their mouth was open, their throat still aching from the ghostly clutch of their sire's hand. Envy blinked rapidly, glancing to the left and right to discover they were not in the tunnels of their former home below Central, but were strapped down to the bed in the house Mustang had brought them to the day before. The birds outside were chirping, announcing the growing light of a new day with vigorous singing. They took several slow breaths, frowning at the ache in their head caused by the needles in their nodes.

 _A dream then, or a nightmare. What brought that on?_

Mulling over their memory of the disturbing night vision, they became aware of the approach of footsteps in the hall. The sound stopped outside their door, and the click of the lock turning announced the opening of their door. Roy Mustang entered the room, dressed casually in tan slacks with the sleeves of his light blue collared shirt rolled up at the elbows. Envy noted his thoughtful stare, and arched their brows at him as he folded his arms across his chest and gave them a knowing look.

"Now that you're awake, we'll take another shot at civil interaction. Think you can behave yourself this morning?"

His query received a snort as a reply, but they followed it up with a question of their own.

"Are you going to leave these things imbedded in my skull all day?" Their gaze was fixed on his face as he approached the bed, and began the process of unfastening their restraints, starting at their ankles. Mustang took his time with their bindings, tugging on the straps tethered around their wrists more firmly than they thought was necessary before releasing them. They didn't move to pull the needles out of their forehead on their own, waiting and meeting his stern gaze with baited breath.

"Their purpose is to keep you incapacitated when I can't monitor you, so there's really no point in leaving them imbedded in your skull, as you put it, while you're with me, is there?" His retort was laced with an undertone of sarcasm that Envy didn't care for, but they opted not to roll their eyes as he plucked the needles from their forehead. It hurt, the sudden twisting pinch of each one popping out from their nodes, and they slapped a hand up over their injuries as soon as the final needle had been removed. Their body quickly recovered from the small wounds, but all the same they glowered at him while getting up from their bed.

"You didn't have to take them out like that you know. I swear you're enjoying this Mustang."

The colonel gave them a sour look and snorted, his arms settling over his chest as he crossed the room and stood by the open door.

"Yes, it's always been my heart's desire to babysit a petulant, arrogant, foolish, destructive, maniacal, loud-mouthed, rude homunculus." His dark eyes glinted with a hint of mirth and they were certain they saw his lips quirk into the faintest trace of a smirk. "Did I miss anything?"

Envy grit their teeth, highly insulted by his critical remark. _I shouldn't be surprised, he did call me an idiot before, more than once._ Placing their hands on their hips, they huffed softly, turning their head to the side and closing their eyes to avoid looking at him.

"You forgot wickedly clever, resilient, and adorable, but you're only human so I can't expect much." Envy cracked an eye open, wondering if he was going to be irritated with their response, but to their chagrin, he was snickering at them. Mustang shook his head, his hand raised to hold them back from speaking.

"Wicked I can acknowledge, resilient, maybe-but clever? Now that makes me laugh, and adorable? You actually claim that as a trait?" Snorting, he crooked a finger for them to approach. "Come downstairs with me, and watch your mouth." Mustang waited for them to step past him into the hall before he followed, closing the door to their room and ushering them back to the atrociously decorated sitting room at the bottom of the stairs.

The floral couches were vacant, but the smell of frying grease and the chatter of amused conversation coming from the next room over let them know where their warden's cohorts were gathered. Mustang's hand against their back was a solid reminder that they had no choice in joining the group of humans in the kitchen. Envy bit back their irritation and stepped into the brightly lit room, the radiant glow of sunshine blazing through a large window behind the sink to their left. Hawkeye stood near the sink, her body in a relaxed stance as she leaned on the tiled counter top. She had been talking with a shorter man with glasses and spiked, dark brown hair who was holding a plate of eggs and toast in his hands. At the table with plates of food were three other men, a portly red head with stubble on his chin, a lanky man with narrowed eyes and silver hair, and the grinning Jean Havoc, cigarette dangling from his mouth. All five of the humans ceased their conversations when the homunculus and their warden entered the kitchen, a heavy silence filling the room.

It was the colonel who put an end to the growing unease in the air by clapping his hand down heavily against Envy's shoulder and proclaiming. "You all remember our guest from last night, so now let's sit down and get to business. Envy, take a seat."

They did as they were told, casting a baleful look around the table as everyone settled into their chairs. Mustang and Hawkeye had positioned themselves to their left and right, respectively, then the short one with the glasses had taken a seat between the woman and the red headed man. Havoc was positioned directly across from them, and they found a small flicker of enjoyment in observing how uncomfortable he looked whenever their eyes met with his. They made certain to give him as much of a threatening glare as they thought they could get away with-until Mustang's hand smacked the back of their head sharply.

"Hey!" Scowling, they turned their attention to the colonel and found his disapproving visage enough to make them reconsider their angry expression. Once it was apparent they had been subdued, Mustang cleared his throat and addressed the group.

"You've all been briefed on the unique situation here, and while it's going to make things more difficult, that doesn't change our objectives. However, before we discuss any of that in further detail, I think it's important to get a few things clear right now." Their warden paused for a moment, glancing pointedly at them before continuing. "There will be no fighting or antagonizing between any of you. I don't expect this to be a problem for most of you, but it needs to be said all the same. The homunculus is never to be unattended save for periods I determine as exceptions. We will spend a short time here to adjust to our new working arrangement. Take this time to acquaint yourselves with our permanent guest, which, we should begin by way of introductions."

Envy had hardly listened to most of Mustang's speech, having lost interest quickly after realizing this commentary was more for the sake of his team than it was for them. Their thoughts drifted, absently lingering on the various plates of food set before each individual at the table.

 _Tubby has a heaping amount of sausage and potatoes with his eggs, all dripping in grease-disgusting. Shorty's toast is burned, does he like it that way? Squinty has a lot of fruit on his plate, looks like there's sausage there too, Hawkeye probably has the most balanced plate, that's no surprise. Smokestack has coffee, just like Mustang, how charming-wait a second-where's my plate? Don't I get food? I don't need it-but that's not a reason to not offer it to me! Stupid, inconsiderate humans._

Folding their arms over their chest, Envy glowered at the empty space on the table in front of them, indignant at their lack of inclusion. It was a visual reminder that they were an outsider here, an unwanted burden on the humans who were uncomfortable with their presence.

 _This is ridiculous, I know they don't want to deal with me, what was it he said before? Babysit-that was it. Damn him._

"Envy? Hey!"

A hand waved in front of their eyes, calling their attention to an annoyed colonel. He sighed heavily, then tapped a few fingers against the side of his coffee mug.

"Since you are part of this team now, it's important you know who each member is, you already know the first lieutenant, and Havoc it seems. I'm going to give you one warning only, so listen closely. Never harm or disrespect any of my subordinates, you aren't here by selection or choice, but by circumstance, and you are untrustworthy. Do not step out of line Envy, or I promise you'll regret it." His threat was fully understood, even if it had been spoken in calm, factual tones. Envy frowned deeply, shifting uneasily in their chair as they met their warden's piercing gaze.

"Fine! I get it already. I'm not going to attack them, maim them, or kill them in any way or you'll roast me. I understand! Can we get on with this?" Frustrated, they slouched over, hunching their shoulders, and frowning deeply at the table.

The short man with the glasses coughed softly, before speaking in a voice that carried far too much optimistic pep to it for Envy's liking.

"Sergeant Major Kain Fuery, I've heard a few things about you, most of it last night, but it will be interesting working with you Envy." His bubbly enthusiasm was met with a dismissive scowl. The red head took a swig from his cup and then spoke up next.

"Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda, don't think you're going to sneak anything past us homunculus, we're well informed on your abilities; and don't think I haven't noticed how you keep giving my friend those nasty looks, we're all on to you."

Envy blinked at the portly man as he attempted to look imposing and stern. _Am I supposed to take this guy seriously? What's he going to do if I accidentally break Havoc's nose? Sit on me? Ha!_ A jeering smile twitched across their lips but before they could let it fully bloom into an unnatural grin, the squinting man on Havoc's other side interrupted their moment.

"Second Lieutenant Vato Falman, it's not exactly a pleasure to meet you, but I'm sure we'll figure out how to work together, not all of your kind have been terrible, hopefully you won't be either." His words were spoken with a touch of nervousness, but the fact that he seemed to have familiarity with other homunculi had their mind racing with curiosity. They opened their mouth to question him, but were cut off by Mustang's abrupt tone.

"Save your comments for now Envy, you'll have time for them later. For the next few days we'll be working closely together at this location, preparing materials and equipment for transport at the end of the week. You will be involved in this process as part of the conditions of your sentence. I expect you to work with each member of this team to the best of your ability, and to prove to me that you can follow orders, control yourself, and not pose a constant threat to everyone around you. If you can demonstrate that to me, then you'll be taking your first real steps toward that second chance you wanted." His words were spoken with a clear lack of sincerity, the obvious lack of faith he had in them blatant to everyone. Envy felt their blood boil as they narrowed their eyes and lifted their chin in defiance.

"You don't think I can do it, but I'll show you. Go on then Mustang, give me an order." Their challenge was met with raised eyebrows and a slowly developing smirk from their warden.

"Alright, if you're so eager, here's your first order, clear the table, and assist Fuery in washing, drying, and putting away the dishes."

"What?! That's not-what kind of order is that?" Envy's displeasure intensified at the soft snort of laughter from across the table. They glared openly at Breda and Havoc, then blinked as Fuery stood up from his seat and walked across the kitchen to the sink, returning to hand them a dish rag. His smile was friendly, if a bit nervous, and they found it completely revolting.

"Don't worry about it, we all take turns keeping things clean while we're here. I'll fill up the sink and you can bring the dishes over and scrape off the left overs." His smile remained despite their best scowl. Envy noted that the rest of the humans had already begun exiting the kitchen, save for Mustang who had crossed the room to refill his coffee mug and lean against the counter, quietly observing.

Heaving a sigh, they clenched their fist around the rag and stood up from their seat, leaning over to begin collecting dirty dishes. Fuery went to the sink, running hot water from the faucet into it.

"Stack the plates and cups here, and let me have the utensils first, I'll wash them and you can do the drying and sorting into the cupboards, okay Envy?"

"Yeah, okay shorty. I'm on it." They grumbled while scraping left over crumbs and egg bits into the garbage bin, ignoring Fuery's confused look. As they stacked the dirty plates, cups, and utensils on the counter, they found the task somewhat reminiscent of times when they had cleaned up after Gluttony. Their younger sibling had always been a sloppy eater, and Lust wasn't fond of clearing away his leavings. The task had usually fallen to them, and was always completed with an ample amount of grumbling, but it was a chore they had grown accustomed to doing over time.

 _I always hated picking up his scraps and messes. Now I'll never get to yell at him for making any again._

Fuery had ceased any attempts to engage them in conversation, for which they were grateful. The pair worked together in silence, cleaning, drying, and sorting the dishes and pans into their respective cupboards. When their task was completed, Envy turned to regard their watchful keeper, noting the contemplative look in his eyes.

"Fuery I need you to go assist the lieutenant with the supply documents. She should be in the back office." Mustang gave his subordinate a quick nod of his head as the man acknowledge his orders and exited the kitchen, leaving them alone with their warden. The colonel brought a hand up to his chin, tapping his index finger against his lips a moment before pointedly staring at his prisoner.

"You have questions about all of this I imagine, and I might answer them, later. For now, I need you to come with me outside and help with another task." He didn't give them time to respond, quickly stepping away from the counter to walk out of the room. Envy huffed, reaching a hand up to rub the back of their neck as they followed him through the sitting room and down a short hallway. They passed a small room with several book shelves and a desk in it, catching a quick glance of Hawkeye and Fuery leafing through a small stack of paperwork. A black and white canine sat beside the desk, turning to look inquisitively toward them as they passed by the doorway. They continued down the hall with Mustang to a back door that provided access to the grassy area behind the house.

The field of green expanded for some distance in all directions before it was cut off on the right by a fenced garden, complete with a well for water collection, a gathering of trees in what could be called a small grove on the left, and two large wooden sheds directly across from where they stood. Breda and Havoc were standing outside one of the sheds, a large pile of metal canisters and wooden barrels stacked near them. Envy's expression soured somewhat as they followed their warden toward the men. Both Breda and Havoc seemed less than comfortable with their presence, but they didn't make any negative comments or expressions in their direction, so they opted to ignore both humans in favor of hearing what Mustang's next order would be. He didn't keep them waiting long.

"Havoc I'll need you to pull one of the trucks out from behind the shed and bring it around for loading. Breda, you have the check list for the supplies, so keep track as things are loaded. Envy, you're going to be assisting them in getting the supplies prepared and loaded onto the truck."

Glancing from Mustang to his men, and then to the empty containers, they arched their eyebrows and settled their hands against their hips.

"What supplies? All you have here are barrels and tin cans." They snorted softly, giving one of the canisters a light nudge with their foot. Breda shook his head and Havoc left to move the truck into place. Mustang had a strangely amused expression on his face that they weren't pleased to see.

 _I'm really starting to hate that look. He's too smug about all of this._

"Yes, everything is empty, because you haven't filled anything yet. Each metal canister needs to be filled with water from the well, sealed, and loaded onto the truck. Then the barrels need to be filled with apples from the trees in the orchard. You'll be at this job for the rest of the day I expect, so don't push yourself too hard, I know you're not as strong as you used to be." Mustang's words stung because they were true, and Envy bristled over it as they watched the truck come into view from around the shed.

"First it's dishes, now I'm fetching water and picking apples, would you like me to sweep your floors and wash your laundry next?" Envy's exasperation was growing as they reached out to yank one of the canisters off the ground and settle it onto their right shoulder. They didn't give Mustang a chance to reply, turning on their heel to stride toward the garden while grumbling to themselves. "I thought this was supposed to be about redeeming myself for following Father's plans, not being some sort of servant for Mustang's personal house chores. This is so stupid! I'm Envy, I shouldn't be doing menial labor for these low life scums, I should be crushing them under my foot, and making them do useless tasks." They cast a glance back at the three men once they were standing by the well, scowling at the way they seemed to be completely ignored by the humans, though they were certain Mustang was aware of their movements.

The well had a simple turn crank to bring up the water from the underground source, and it proved to be a deep one as they turned the wooden handle for what seemed a significant amount of time to bring up the bucket. As the water splashed into the canister their eyes narrowed slightly and their lips drew together in a pinched frown.

"This is going to take forever, that barely made any difference. How many of these things am I supposed to fill?" Glancing back to where the collection of canisters stood, they observed Mustang standing with his hands in his pockets, relaxed, and watching them. Breda and Havoc had disappeared, and this brought a growl up from the back of their throat. "And just where did those two worms go? I'm going to have to do everything myself, and he's going to just stand there and watch." Scowling, they repeated the cycle of lowering the bucket, turning the crank to draw up the water, and pouring it into the canister until the cold liquid reached the top. Lifting the full container wasn't difficult, but trying to carry it without spilling frigid water on themselves required a slow, careful pace. They set the first canister down near the back of the truck, casting Mustang a quick glance as they grabbed the next one in line and stomped back across the grass to the well.

By the time they had filled and carried over their twelfth canister, they were starting to feel a strain in their arms. They had stumbled on their most recent trip, sending a slosh of cold water up into their face, which had been entirely unpleasant. Mustang had continued to watch them in silence, his arms settled over his chest as he leaned against the side of the truck. After setting the canister down beside the others, they drew their hand over their wet face and flicked the water away. Although they didn't have a watch on them, they were certain it had been more than an hour since they had first come outside, and they still had more than half the canisters to fill. Placing their hands on their hips, they cocked their head toward their warden and clicked their tongue in frustration.

"Do you actually need all of these things filled today? I mean, it's not like you're hauling out of here tomorrow right? It just takes so long. Why don't you just use alchemy to fill them all at once and be done with it?"

Mustang tapped a finger against his bicep and regarded them with a strangely patient expression.

"Does it matter when the transport leaves? I gave you a direction, an order. Complaining about it isn't going to change it, or complete it."

There really wasn't anything they could say to him that wouldn't bring some form of trouble down on their head. Envy settled for an angry expression since Mustang hadn't yet told them they couldn't glare at him, and continued their task. As they were bringing the final canister back to the truck, they observed Havoc and Breda pushing wheel barrows from the shed to the orchard.

 _So they are pulling some weight after all. Good! I shouldn't be doing everything!_

Dropping the canister down with a heavy thud, they crossed their arms over their chest and lifted their chin toward their warden.

"That's the last one. Task completed." They paused, then sneered, and added a sarcastic. "Sir."

Mustang's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't reprimand them, instead, he gestured toward the empty bed of the truck.

"You still need to load it."

Envy blinked, looking from the full canisters to the bed of the transport truck, and then to Mustang. They had forgotten about that part. Sucking in air through their teeth, they grabbed the sides of the canister closest to them, and began the awkward process of hauling it into the truck bed. Lifting it up wasn't easy given the angle they had to work with, and as they attempted to push it over the edge of the metal grating on the loading step, the container caught on a groove and began to tip. Eyes widening, they jerked their hand up to yank on the rim of the canister, but in their haste, they pulled too roughly, and brought the entire canister down on themselves.

The water was freezing, and not only were they drenched, but the canister had given them a painful smack to their chest on the way down. Mustang's long suffering sigh drew their attention from their soggy puddle to where he stood, watching them from over the top of one hand which was covertly covering his mouth.

 _If he laughs at me…._

They weren't sure exactly what they would do if he did, but instead of mocking them, he removed his hand and pointed behind them. Envy twisted around, staring at a collection of metal discs stacked in two columns near the wooden barrels.

"It might be easier if you put the lids on first."

Embarrassment creeped up the back of their neck, but they did their best to ignore it. Mustang's eyes held in their gaze the mirth he hadn't openly acknowledged, and the look infuriated them. More than once they considered how risky it would be to 'accidentally' drop a canister on him. After they had finished maneuvering all the canisters up and onto the truck bed, they turned to look at the sky, observing that it had to be late in the afternoon by this point. Breda and Havoc had returned, pushing their wheel barrows back into the shed before joining them near the truck.

"All the apples have been collected in the barrels at the base of the trees and are ready for exchange sir." Breda cast a curious look at Envy, arching his eyebrows. "You actually finished loading the water huh?"

They set their hands on their hips, scoffing haughtily with their nose in the air.

"Of course I did! Just because you worms are weak and pathetic and can't finish a job by yourselves doesn't mean I work in the same way. Clearly you don't understand how powerful homunculi are."

Mustang's hand came down solidly on their shoulder, startling them slightly as he loomed in from behind them.

 _Crap! When did he move?  
_  
"Since you're so great and powerful, and able to handle tasks alone, you can exchange all these empty wooden barrels for the full ones in the orchard. Bring them here, and load them into the truck with the water, but don't forget the lids this time." Mustang gave their shoulder a rough slap of encouragement before stepping back to give Breda and Havoc his attention. Envy stood still, stunned, and utterly dismissed. They scowled, looking from the trees to the barrels a moment before cursing and getting to work. It was dusk by the time they had finished loading the last barrel into the truck. Breda and Havoc had left to get a meal at some point before they had completed their task, and were only just returning as they climbed down from the truck bed.

"I'll leave you two to drive the transport to the station. Be back tomorrow night." Mustang instructed his men before casting a glance their direction.

They felt the exertion of all the labor more than they had anticipated they would, their arms felt sore and stiff, their shoulders were hunched forward and they were doing their best to fight off the urge to yawn but were losing the battle. They didn't want to admit they were exhausted, but they had a feeling he could tell regardless of anything they might say to deny it. The familiar touch of his hand around their upper arm was enough motivation to get them walking toward the house, but his grip felt more relaxed for some reason they couldn't determine. They found their journey led straight back up the stairs to their room, where Mustang closed the door and flipped on the light before settling himself into the chair near their bed. Envy was uneasy with his presence, fidgeting a bit before glancing at their bed.

"You have a hard time keeping your attitude in check, but you still accomplished every task given to you today, which I hadn't held any expectation for you achieving." He looked at them with a small frown, and they couldn't help glaring in response to it. Mustang arched his eyebrows at their expression. "You don't like that? You're angry?"

"Yes I'm angry!" Envy gestured widely, pointing an accusing finger at him as their voice rose. "You made me do ridiculous, menial work all day! You didn't even let me ask a question at your farce of a meeting this morning! And what about food? Huh!? You didn't even offer to let me eat! I'm not here to be a slave for you! If Father had completed his goals you would be groveling in the dirt and I would-!" Their words abruptly cut off as Mustang rose from his seat and closed the distance between them.

Mustang's arm pulled back and as his open palm came down they reacted instinctually, blocking his slap by intercepting his attack with their arm defensively. There was a moment of tense silence between them as they stared at one another, Mustang's gaze growing darker as Envy's eyes widened in shock at their own blunder. Their throat felt dry as they tried to decide if they should lower their arm, apologize, or try to run out of the room. Their lips slowly parted, working around the words that crept forth in a hesitant tremor.

"I didn't mean to do that. I just reacted."

Their warden's hand closed tightly around their raised arm, and the firm tug he gave went unchallenged as they stumbled across the room behind him. He released them at the edge of their bed, taking a moment before turning to face them with a mixture of anger and disapproval that made them feel uncomfortable and anxious.

"Sit down on the bed, on your hands."

Following the stern command, they eased onto the mattress and slid their hands under their thighs. As soon as they were settled the slap they had denied earlier connected with their face. It stung powerfully, but the mark would heal soon enough. Mustang's hand gripped their chin, pulling their face into an upward angle as he leaned over them.

"You are never to fight me if I decide to discipline you. I've already explained to you that disrespect won't be tolerated, yelling at me, and telling me about what you would do if your father had destroyed the world is only going to get you into trouble. The fact of the matter that you seem to be unable to comprehend is that your father lost! He lost the war Envy! Nothing is going to change that!" Mustang gave their jaw a shake, then continued, his tone cold, and harsh. "You keep falling back on useless analogies of what could have been, and it's all fantasy. You can't hide in a make-believe world where the homunculi conquered and you rule the world, it's time to wake up to reality. You saw what was happening! You knew your father was going to lose and you chose to abandon him! You accepted the consequences of your crimes and you resigned yourself to being a prisoner under my authority. You don't get to keep going on about what would have been in some delusional way to comfort yourself about your circumstances!"

Every word dug in like a barb, twisting and piercing at them with the stark reality of the truth. They screwed their eyes shut, breathing harshly through their teeth as they listened to his gruff lecture. Every sentence chipped away at their self-control, the urge to fight back reared up inside them; they wanted to deny that they had fallen so low, that they had chosen this outcome, but looking at Mustang's stern expression crumbled their will into helpless frustration. Unwanted tears welled up at the corners of their eyes, spilling down their cheeks as they hissed out a bitter retort.

"Don't you think I know that!? I turned my back on everything! My father's plan, my family, I turned my back on them! To save myself! I'm no better than that bastard Greed! I should have fought harder! I should have killed you!" They expected to be slapped again, but Mustang only stared at them, his hands fisted at his sides as he looked down on them silently. Envy's body quaked with their anger, their own hands clawing into the mattress on either side of their legs.

"You ruined everything! You marched in and nothing I did made any difference! You took my power from me, you took my pride as a homunculus and stomped it into nothing! You took…you.. **you took her**! You took Lust away! I hate you for what you did! And I have to be chained to you now, when all I want is to see you dead! To see you suffer and die for ever daring to **hurt her**!" They lurched toward him, grabbing his shirt with their fist as they stared up at him, the fluid running from their eyes in hot streaks. Their other hand came up toward his face to strike, but never made contact.

The flame alchemist had caught their wrist in his hand, his grip unyielding as they struggled to pull away from him. He brought his weight down on top of them, pinning their body under his own against the mattress as he found and held the wrist of their other arm down. Envy twisted and writhed in agitated duress, cursing, and screaming at him until they had exasperated themselves and began to sob more than yell. They found it infuriating that he wasn't arguing back with them, wasn't belittling them, wasn't doing anything but holding them down against their bed. Eventually, he leaned back, pulling their wrists down against their sides before releasing them. They watched him return to the chair and run his hand over his face. His gaze was fixed on them, but his expression was unreadable and it only served to make them more upset.

"Why aren't you doing anything Mustang? Aren't you going to hit me? Say something already!"

The colonel sighed a slow breath out, then said something that caught them entirely off guard.

"You're right, I was inconsiderate of you."

Envy was at a loss. Their brows furrowed together in confusion as they tried to understand what had just come from the man's mouth. Sniffling loudly, they swiped at their face and sat up on the bed slowly. Mustang tilted his head slightly, his hands resting on his knees as he regarded them in a disquietingly thoughtful manner.

"Hawkeye, Fuery and Falman are in town tonight on assignment, I think before we proceed any further, you and I need to actually talk. I'll admit, I've been avoiding dealing with you as much as possible, because as much as you claim to hate me, I've hated you and wished you had died in the tunnels even more. I didn't want to have this situation, to have to deal with you all the time, but I've been avoiding talking with you, acknowledging and being open about the circumstances facing both of us, and that's inconsiderate of me as your warden. So, we're going to face this situation now, whether we like it or not." He stood up, one hand settling against his hip. "Get up Envy."

They blinked, slowly getting to their feet and frowning in confusion. "Why?"

"Because we're going to have something to eat. Come with me."


	6. Chapter six

**A quick note from me:** Before beginning this chapter I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, liked, or followed my story. I didn't anticipate it would attract any serious attention and I've been quite delighted to see evidence to the contrary. It brings me a great deal of joy to know that you like my work, and I hope as this story continues to unfold that it will keep being a positive experience for those of you who enjoy reading it. **End of note.**

The tension between the two of them was heavy, thick with anxiety and bitterness, but lacking in imminent violence as it had been in their past encounters. Envy remained cautious however, keeping their mouth closed for the time being as they sat at the table and regarded their warden while he moved about the kitchen. After several trips between cupboards and the refrigerator, Mustang brought over two plates and set them down on the table, both carrying the same simple meal-a sandwich. Raising an eyebrow, they tilted their head back from the wheat bread to get a better angle at what he had offered to them. Along the sides of the bread ran several layers of color, green, yellow, and a pale beige. They inhaled the scent of the food, their delicately crafted nose wrinkling slightly. Mustang settled into his own chair across from them, watching their face a long moment before sighing.

"Is something wrong with turkey and cheese?" He lifted his own sandwich and took a bite.

They glanced from their food to his dark eyes, uncertain how to answer him.

 _It looks so plain. When we kept Dr. Marcoh captive I brought him steak, he never ate it, but it was better than a sandwich. Still, he could have just thrown a bag of crackers at me, this is something of an effort-and that's unusual for him when it comes to me. I guess he really is serious about this 'talk'._

Slowly, they picked up their sandwich and bit into it, almost daintily. Mustang looked surprised by the way they nibbled at their food, their teeth barely making a dent in the first corner of the sandwich. He set his own food down and rested his hands on the table, drumming his fingers as he gathered his thoughts to speak. Envy kept their attention on him, trying to gauge the potential of a conversation they had never anticipated being part of.

"I'm not going to lead you on with any sort of pretense; I wish I didn't have to deal with you. It would have been easier for me if you had died in Central, and I have no problem saying that to you." Mustang held their gaze, his expression grimly serious. "You're a vile creature Envy, you have committed numerous crimes against humanity and you show no indication of remorse; what's worse, you show no potential to truly change. I can keep you in check because you know I can destroy you, and that fear holds power over your behavior, but it doesn't mean you're going to develop a desire to become better, to grow beyond what you are now." His right hand closed into a fist as he paused a moment, seemingly considering his thoughts.

"I've been struggling with these concerns, trying to determine how much effort I really want to put into you. How much do I want to put my team at risk for the sake of a beast that only finds pleasure in causing pain and death? How long will I be able to keep you in check before you do manage to harm someone? I made an agreement to participate in this sentence you are serving, on the condition that your consequences would be at my discretion, but I must consider the danger you pose, and the fact that I don't really know what's going on in your head. You're a liar, and a manipulator by your very design, what guarantee do I have that anything you say or do is genuine proof that you won't continue to be a walking disaster to everything around you?"

Envy set their sandwich back on their plate, the taste having turned sour in their mouth the longer they listened to him speak. Their gaze had hardened, anger roiling up within them as each question pounded away, hammering nails into a metaphorical coffin with their name burned into it.

 _He sits there spouting off about how dangerous I am, and he has no idea what it even is to be me. How dare he talk to me like this! I should give him proof like he wants, prove to him that he's absolutely right-I AM dangerous, and all these worthless humans should be terrified._

"You talk like I'm supposed to care. There isn't a compromise between us, I'm homunculi, we're above all of you lowly humans, we don't think about your stupid feelings or well-being. You were supposed to be nothing more than fuel for the stones, sniveling, petty, weeping, miserable insects that held no purpose beyond what we deemed fit for you to have." Glaring indignantly, they swept their open hand up into the air and then brought their palm down onto the table with a harsh bang. "The only reason I haven't lashed out is because I don't want to die again. I don't like being hurt, and you know how to hurt me worse than any human ever has, so yes, I try not to invite your anger on me as much as possible. It's not because I want to change what I am, I'm not some pathetic human that needs to be goaded into mending their ways and finding a new leaf to flip."

Mustang's eyes narrowed considerably as he listened to them expel their disgust and fury. His posture was tense in his seat, and his facial muscles pinched into a barely controlled visage of rage. Envy saw the effort being used to keep that anger in check, and though they wanted to continue pulling at the threads of his temper, previous experience led them down the wiser path of falling silent and hunching their shoulders in a display of bitter resentment.

"You, hypocritical **worm**. Your life was spared, you have been given an opportunity like no other, and you spit all over it so carelessly." Their warden jerked out of his seat abruptly, the sound of the chair scrapping across the floor grating on their ears. He raised his arms, his hands poised to clap together the way the Elric boys had always done. They blinked at him, frightened and mildly confused as they waited for him to do something, but he remained in that position, glaring down at them in open contempt.

"You say homunculi are above humanity, you sound just like your father, Envy. Your father, who wasted countless lives to achieve his own ends, who forced alchemists to become puppets in his twisted plots, who ruined families and brought suffering just to serve his own goals. I saw so much of that suffering all around me, in the east, in the war, my friends, their families, and I personally suffered at his hands as a chosen sacrifice." He took an unsteady breath, flexing his jaw as he attempted to reign in his anger. Slowly, his hands lowered to the table top. "There **is** a difference between you and your abomination of a father, he didn't lie like you do."

Their face contorted with their bewilderment at his statement, but he pressed on before they could reply.

"If you were truly so proud to be above humans, you wouldn't have wept over the reality of your jealousy, you wouldn't have tried to escape the pain of your own resentment by trying to take your own life. The truth is Envy, you're a **coward**. You're afraid of understanding humans, because if you understand us, then you might realize how alike we really are, and then your walls will fall apart. I've seen the kind of attitude you put on before, you've been stripped of everything you ever knew, forced to submit to your enemy, and pushed into a position you don't know how to cope with. Worst of all, you're having to face all of it alone, and aren't the most capable emotionally or mentally from what I've seen. We can deal with this situation one of two ways, you continue to push me, to refuse any sense of true compliance with your sentence and I will eventually incinerate you, or you can let go of this recalcitrant attitude and start making an effort, and maybe you'll discover something new about yourself, maybe we both will. The decision is up to you, but you should commit to the choice. There's no going back from it."

"We're not alike! Don't you compare yourself to me!" Their voice rose to a shout as they slapped the plate with their sandwich across the table. The glass shattered on the floor and they didn't bother resisting when Mustang's hand yanked them out of their seat by the wrist. They met his scowl with a snarl, venomous denial blazing in their violet eyes.

 _There's nothing the same between us! Idiot! I'm not a coward or emotional! I'm not anything like humans; I'm not like you!_

"Is that so? What about how much you hate me for burning Lust to death? That rage you have, that hatred for me, that **grief** you carry for her-it's exactly the same as what I've felt over Hughes, all because of you. You murdered my best friend, a man who was family to me, and you know exactly what that hatred I felt drove me to become. Don't you dare look me in the eyes and tell me it's not true, that you see no comparison." He gave them a rough shake before releasing his grip on their arm. The colonel hissed air out through his teeth, his brows knit together, the muscles of his jaw strained with intensity. "You're very good at one thing for certain, and that is digging yourself a bigger hole to be buried in. You don't deserve mercy of any kind, but I'm trying to make a point to you, if I can just get through that stubborn, thick skull you have."

Envy glowered at him, rubbing their arms in a self-comforting manner as they glanced briefly to their feet.

"Why?! I don't understand why you keep insisting on trying when you say you don't want to, when we both know this is useless, I don't want to understand humans, I don't want to change for you or anyone, and I don't feel sorry about anything I did, and you can't make me feel sorry! Why do you keep trying Mustang?"

"Because I made a promise to someone, a promise that I would be a man that could be followed and trusted by his subordinates, a man who could lead by the truth of his words and his actions, without hypocrisy. I forgot how to be that man once, because of you, and in destroying you I was destroying myself, and any hope I had for the future. I **won't** do that again." His tone was stern, but genuine, and it unnerved them how openly sincere he was about his faithfulness to his comrades.

 _I'm just a means to an end then, goody. This isn't fair, I don't want this!_

"I'm not going to be a tool for you to gain some sort of self-worth by being charitable to me." Grumbling, they crossed their arms over their chest and frowned. They hadn't expected to win any battles in this conversation, but it was steadily becoming obvious that there had never been an upper hand to achieve from the beginning. Every effort they made to refuse to cooperate with him was growing more defeated, and even to their own ears they were starting to sound strained, caged by their circumstances. Mustang seemed acutely aware of their faltering defiance, and it agitated them greatly.

"You should be immensely grateful for my charity. It's saved you from becoming a pile of smoldering ashes several times already." He sighed, a heavy, long-suffering tension ebbing out with his breath. Mustang brought his right hand up to massage his forehead lightly before fixing them with a discerning look. "I don't expect you to be happy about any of this, or to develop a sense of remorse over night, but I do expect for you to cooperate honestly, and that means trying to understand the people around you. You have to stop denying the consequences of the path you chose to take. Can you at least do that?"

Fidgeting under his gaze, they bit down against their lower lip and avoided meeting his eyes for as long as possible. Despite their reluctance to acknowledge it, they knew that their choices were limited. _I don't like it, I don't want to 'work' with them. I don't want to be part of his stupid team, I don't want to help them. It's not fair! It's NOT fair!_ The tension of their will twisting and throwing its last acrimonious stand brought a tremor to their shoulders, the crumbling of their resolve signified by a low hiss and a tell-tale sniffle.

"I hate you." It was honest, but subdued. Their warden nodded, watching them as they struggled to cope with their resignation.

"I know." The tone of his voice was laden with a tired weight. Mustang appeared to release a portion of the stress he had been holding onto, his muscles relaxing marginally with the small, victorious step forward he had gained. His eyes were focused and calculating as he looked them over, they could tell he was weighing options, plotting something, but he was far more difficult for them to predict than other humans had been, a point that constantly displeased them.

"I don't want this situation to be one where I have to constantly be threatening to destroy you to get your cooperation, regardless of what you feel about me or the team, or any humans, you need to work beyond those emotions, past that hatred and disgust, even if it's just to survive. I know you're capable of it, when you feel inclined to do so. Right now, that's all I'll ask out of you." He spoke bluntly, and for their own sake they were somewhat glad of his honest frankness. If they couldn't read his expressions, at least they could count on his open expectations. They huffed, their frown softening slightly as they nodded their agreement. Their warden breathed a quick sigh, relieved, then continued.

"At the end of this week we will be traveling to Lior. The provisions you gathered today are being sent ahead along with other supplies. When we arrive, you will participate in reconstruction efforts. Our team is going to be actively involved both in Lior, and farther south. This will be an opportunity for you to prove you are able to move beyond that hatred." The colonel frowned, looking away before sliding his hands into his trouser pockets. "You may despise being reminded of the fact that you're jealous of human strength, of the ability that we have to support one another in harsh times, and to move beyond tragedy because of the bonds we share, but I hope you're smart enough to realize this is a chance for you to obtain some of that same strength."

Envy squinted at Mustang in suspicion. Their curiosity piqued at his statement, but they weren't eager to delve too deeply into how they could achieve that goal.

"Now who's living in a delusion? Why would any of you offer me support?" They snorted at him, scoffing.

Mustang appeared almost amused, a faint smirk twitching the corner of his mouth as he regarded their disbelieving expression. He kept his hands in his pockets, his broad shoulders rolling with the inhale of his breath.

"This team will support you, Envy, if you can start working with them. You might be surprised at what can happen if you give humans a chance. It's better than lighting your own funeral pyre, isn't it?" He shrugged, seemingly unaware that his analogy had forced a twitch out of them.

They ran their fingers through their hair, gripping the strands at the nape of their neck as they exhaled a heavy sigh. _Why does he have to make sense? Am I really going to consider doing this? Lust, Gluttony, Pride, Wrath, Sloth, I'm not betraying us, I promise, I have to keep going, to survive, that's all it is._ Lowering their hands to their sides, they offered their warden a careful glance, gauging his reception of their words.

"I'll try, but, not because I want to understand any of you, I just don't want to keep doing this every night, you get what I mean?"

He acknowledged their rather lame statement with a look that clearly showed he was aware of their inner struggles, and they couldn't bear to keep eye contact for long. Shifting their gaze to the side, they caught sight of the sandwich he had prepared for them, scattered on the floor among fractured pieces of their plate. The smallest twinge of shame brushed their mind at the sight.

 _I shouldn't have done that, such a waste, it didn't taste half bad either, and now it's filthy._

The sound of their warden clearing his throat drew their attention from the forlorn state of their lost meal, to his unimpressed frown.

"That was quite the fit you had, you victimized your own dinner. The broom and dust pan are in the corner, after you clean up we'll go back to your room. It's late."

After they had gotten past the slight embarrassment of his comment, they retrieved the broom and dust pan, quietly sweeping up the mess they had made with a confounding wonderment over how he managed to make them feel absurd about their own actions. Once they had finished their task, they returned to their room with him.

As they laid their head against the pillow, they cast a displeased glance at the tethers fastened to their bed frame. Mustang caught their expression and didn't so much as blink at it as he began tying their wrists and ankles for the night. He retrieved the needles from the drawer and sat on the side of their bed, meeting their frown with an openly unsympathetic shake of his head.

"We've been over this, you know I'm not going to leave this room without putting them in." His tone wasn't harsh at least, but it didn't change the fact that they couldn't stand their predicament.

"I know, but I don't have to like it." They sulked, but didn't resist when he leaned over and braced their head with one hand, his thumb resting against their right eyebrow. The touch was practically gentle, and it startled them enough that they looked up into his face as he lined the first needle up with the center of their right node. Coal black eyes flickered down to meet bewildered violet briefly, catching the storm of emotions in the inhuman gaze before focusing on the needle as it slipped easily into the sparking red circle. Fully aware of the discomfort the sensation was causing, he smoothed his thumb across their brow bone slowly, silently offering a minimal regard for their pain as he placed the remaining two needles.

The colonel stood from their bed and pulled the blanket up around their shoulders before walking toward their door. He paused, his hand hovering over their light switch before he glanced over his shoulder at them.

"I'll be getting you up early tomorrow. Good night Envy." He opened the door to their room and flipped the light switch. As darkness fell around them, they stared after his silhouette in the light of the hall. A strange sense of confusion and frustration twisted in their gut as they watched him shut their door and listened to the sound of his steps fading down the hall way. Sleep wasn't easy to find, but eventually they drifted off into a restless slumber.

True to his word, their warden was in their room with the dawn, shaking their shoulder firmly to rouse them from dreamless sleep. Blearily, they cracked their eyes open, finding the colonel's stern face looming over them. For a split second, they had a flash of memory from the tunnels of Central, the face was the same, but the eyes had held so much malice then, and after their sudden gasp they had recalled their discussion from the previous evening. Mustang arched an eyebrow at them but didn't comment on their tense posture, his hands resting on his hips as he looked down on them.

"You must have been more tired than you let on. You didn't even move when I unfastened your restraints and took out the needles. I've been trying to get you up for a few minutes now." He shook his head at them, the soft tap, tap of his boot on the floor indicating a sense of impatience. "You'll be assisting Second Lieutenant Falman today, he's already in the office down stairs, waiting for you."

 _Up at the crack of dawn and he's already got a chore list for me, here we go again._

Sighing, they sat up and gave a rather languid stretch before sliding out of their bed. Settling one arm behind their head, they cast their warden a bored expression and started for their door. They could hear his boots clopping against the wood behind them as they left the room and descended the stairs. The house was quiet around them, and they took a moment to glance over their shoulder as they turned to follow the short hall to the office, noting that their ever watchful keeper was close behind.

"I made an agreement with you didn't I? You don't have to shadow me all the time." Their grumble lacked any real hope of impact, and Mustang's snort clearly stated that he wasn't going to let them out of his sight any time soon. Opening the door to the office, they found the tall, gray haired man standing amongst several towering stacks of books. Envy blinked, hovering within the door way as their gaze traveled around the numerous columns of tomes, crowded together in numerous rows. There was barely enough room for the human to fit between the edge of the desk and the physical piles of knowledge gathered around him. Envy wasn't certain there would be space for them both in there, but Falman's worried features relaxed slightly when he looked toward the door way.

"You're up! Wonderful, I was hoping to get a hand with this, it's a big job for one person." His relief still carried a touch of apprehension with it, and they couldn't help the slight amusement it gave them to listen to his nerves. They were about to speak, but the second lieutenant derailed their course by picking up a brown sack and waving it in the air. "I know it's not the best, but since we're going to be stuck in here a while I picked up doughnuts for us to have while I was in town last night."

"Doughnuts?" They frowned, trying to pick through over a hundred years' worth of memory to recall the word and its meaning. There weren't many foods they had actually bothered to waste their time with eating over their long life, particularly since Gluttony was always trying to pilfer any snacks they did indulge in once he had been created. They shrugged, deciding that they would consider the offered food as a minimal apology for the task ahead, which was likely to involve the stacks of books all over the room. They left Mustang at the door way, carefully picking their way through to the desk, eyeing the bag he held out to them before snatching it abruptly.

Falman jerked at the suddenness of their action, bringing a small snicker from the homunculus as they opened the crinkling package and reached inside. Their hand grasped something soft, slightly squishy, and powdery. Removing the object, they discovered it was circular and white as snow. They sniffed it, then cast a sharp glance at the man across the desk before tearing a rather vicious bite out of the treat. Their eyes widened slightly as they chewed.

 _It's sweet! This isn't half bad, I mean, it's not my favorite, but it's not terrible, and what is that stuff oozing out of the middle? Is that blood? Humans wouldn't do that, would they?_

Taking another bite, they discovered the substance was incredibly sticky, and fruity. Slightly disappointed, they decided the taste was decent enough. They paused before their next bite, glancing at Falman's anxious expression.

"For a second I thought you had given me something stuffed with blood in the middle, it would have been weird, but I was almost excited by it. Pity it turned out to just be fruit paste. So, what are we doing in here, Second Lieutenant Vato Falman." They smirked at him, then finished off their doughnut with an obnoxiously large bite, their left cheek bulging slightly as they chewed.

"Right, well, it will be our job to sort through and organize all the books that have been brought here for transport to Lior. The city took a great deal of damage, and it's been a steady but slow process to repair it. Part of what we'll be doing there is the construction of a large library, the books here will be used to fill that, but we need to categorize them and prepare transport documents for them before they can be sent off." He gestured briefly around the room, and Envy's gaze followed his hand, a subtle frown crossing their features as they scanned the rows of books.

"There are a lot of books for this one room, but you said a library, this is hardly enough to fill a library." Reaching into the bag, they felt around for another squishy treat, and were pleased to sink their fingers into a second doughnut. Yanking it from the bag, they sank their teeth into the sweet substance, munching away without regard for the shocked gasp the human made.

"Ah! That! That was my-oh, never mind." Falman sighed defeatedly, then shook his head. "The rest of the books are out in the shed behind the house. When we've gone through all the books in this room we can get another set brought in." He smiled, seeming rather pleased at the prospect of a long day of work. Envy snorted around their doughnut, but crumpled up the paper bag and tossed it into the wastebasket beside the desk.

"Sounds boring, but I don't have a choice, where do we start Squinty?" They placed a hand on a large volume set on the desk, eyeing the title with mild interest. Falman looked uncertain of them, but gestured toward the books to their right.

"I've already started organizing the books by subject on that side of the room. The piles under the window are historical, the one by the shelf is fiction, and I haven't gotten to the rest yet."

The book in their hand appeared to be an atlas of some sort, displaying maps of the different regions of Amestris and the surrounding countries. They set it on the floor between the historical and fiction piles, then began the process of sifting through the nearby columns of books for any other map related tomes. They found that Vato Falman was a relatively quiet worker, surprisingly efficient as he sorted through the books, quickly browsing their pages before determining a sorted stack for them. Mustang had remained in the doorway for the first hour of their work, watching for any signs of trouble, but eventually he moved out of sight, his voice carrying down the hall as he spoke with someone in the sitting room. Envy was surprised he had left them with the second lieutenant, but then he hadn't exactly gone far, still, it was a deliberate sign.

 _He's testing me. Tch._

Categorizing the books was a slightly daunting task, but they weren't nearly as stupid as their warden seemed to think they were, and they went about their task with an adeptness that surprised their working partner.

"You really have a talent for this, I bet you're good at office work aren't you?" Falman's praise caught them off guard, and they peered at him from behind a pile of books, their violet eyes narrowing slightly as they watched him fidget under their gaze.

"I did spend some of my time assisting Wrath and working in and out of the military headquarters over the years, if that's what you're getting at." They watched him nod, then allowed their expression to relax as they recalled something that had been important to them. "You said you had worked with my 'kind' before! Who did you see? What were they doing?"

Falman appeared apprehensive at the eagerness in their tone, and carefully looked from the book he held, to their expectant gaze.

"I don't know how much I can really say to you. The colonel hasn't specifically said I can't tell you anything, but it wasn't a question I asked and that's an oversight on my part." He rubbed at his neck, brows furrowing as he considered the situation. "I suppose talking about the homunculi I've seen would be alright, but don't pressure me for details beyond what I'm about to say, deal?"

Envy nodded conspiratorially, sliding around the pile of books to crouch down next to Falman behind the desk. The man looked nervous, tensing at their proximity before sighing and lowering the tone of his voice slightly.

"While I was stationed at Briggs I ran into the Elric brothers. We were discussing their situation, and their encounter with Major General Armstrong when the ground began to shake. The floor exploded, and this hulking figure emerged out of it. He had hair similar to yours now that I think about it, but he was easily twice the size of any human, and his clothing and eyes were strange. He had chains on his wrists, and the first thing he did when he showed up was fall asleep." Falman shook his head, then glanced over as Envy released a sudden cackle.

"That's Sloth! What was he doing inside Briggs? What an idiot, ha!" They grinned, leaning into the man's personal space with a wave of their hand for him to continue.

"Sloth, well, he proved to be an incredible force to fight, before the Briggs force managed to subdue him, he nearly took out part of the fortress, but I don't know how much of it was intentional. He almost seemed like he was wandering around looking for something, like he was lost." Falman frowned thoughtfully, tapping his chin.

They snorted, slapping their palm against their knee and raising a finger when the man looked at them.

"Sloth was tasked to dig, it was the only job Father gave him for most of his life, and he hated it. All he ever liked to do was sleep, which was probably impossible under Pride's watch. I'll bet he tunneled up into Briggs by mistake and had to figure out how to get back below ground. Did you see him again after that?"

Falman appeared uneasy, and shook his head, his gaze fixed on their face as the glint of amusement left their eyes and their smile faltered. He cleared his throat, glancing around before focusing on their sullen expression. "I saw another, a homunculus that could cover his body in a black armor. Greed was his name, he was really interesting, but a decent enough fellow for what I could make of him, and he did help us fight.." He trailed off, leaving part of his story unfinished, but they didn't seem concerned with his secrets.

The mention of Greed stirred a strange combination of emotions within them. The sensation of anger rose inside them, mingled with disgust and an underlying current of rivalry and loathing. Their expression darkened considerably, but their grin was back in place, and they barely noticed when the human beside them flinched away.

"I don't want to hear a single word about that traitorous rat. He turned his back on us twice, always for his own petty reasons. If he isn't dead like Lust and Gluttony are, then he will be when I find him!" They snarled, curling their hands into fists against their knees. The second lieutenant coughed nervously beside them, then licked his lips and made a careful query.

"I know each homunculus has special abilities, what are yours? The colonel didn't particularly clarify the details." He was obviously trying to steer the conversation in a direction away from Greed, and while Envy was still simmering over the mention of him, they could appreciate why Falman wanted to change the topic. Adopting a smug countenance, they extended their right arm and allowed a crackling of red alchemic energy to pop and dance along the limb as it transitioned from flesh and bone to smooth, razor sharp steel. The wickedly curved blade caught the light from the window, glinting dangerously.

Vato Falman's reaction was priceless. His squinting eyes opened wide, and his mouth fell open in shock. Envy couldn't help their delight at his face, and a cackle bubbled up as they returned their arm to its usual shape.

"You think that's impressive second lieutenant? Watch this!" Leering at him, they focused on the cells of their body, the attempt to change their entire form was slightly difficult, as if they were forcing their body to move through mud; but once the flow began it became easier, the transition of energy flowing from their feet up, shifting their form to that of the man sitting beside them. Falman's mirror image sneered at him with arrogant amusement, and the man fell over backward with a shout once he had come to terms with the fact that he was looking at himself. He jabbed a quaking finger at them from his sprawled position on the floor, his eyes nearly bulging in his fear and astonishment.

"How are you doing that?! You're me! Well, I would never make that face, that's terrifying, but it's amazing! I had no idea a homunculus could do this!" His exclamations only brought another round of laughter from them, but before they could say anything in reply they heard the distinctly displeased sound of a throat clearing behind them. The two Falmans turned together to peak over the top of the desk, finding an annoyed looking Roy Mustang staring down at them. To the left of the agitated colonel stood Riza Hawkeye, her firearm aimed and ready.

"I'm not sure if I want to know what's going on, but you both should be working on your assignment." His tone was annoyed, but not overly so.

Envy glanced at Falman, and decided to jerk their thumb in his direction, using his voice to speak to the colonel. "This one started it, sir. I was only trying to organize the books."

"What?! Colonel that's not me! I swear!" Falman flailed his arms, his finger pointed accusingly at his doppelganger. Envy didn't give Mustang time to acknowledge his panicked subordinate, reverting their body to their preferred form with a far too amused snicker and a wide grin. Falman heaved a sigh of relief, then looked almost sheepishly at his commanding officers. "I did indulge a bit, I confess. I was curious what Envy could do."

"There's no harm done, right Mustang? It's not like anything happened, and I think, I MIGHT just be able to tolerate you, Second Lieutenant Squinty." Envy's grin only widened at Falman's defeated sigh.

"I see. You both need to get back to work, and Envy, no shape shifting for now." Mustang gave them a stern look, his brows arching for emphasis. Rolling their eyes, the homunculus nodded their consent and stood, dusting themselves off before striding around Mustang and the ever-watchful lieutenant to return to their stack of books. They listened as the pair left the room, then turned their attention back to the anxious man by the desk. Adopting a sly smirk, they snapped in the sharp voice and tone of the colonel.

"Falman get to work!"

The second lieutenant flailed around, knocking over a pile of books on the desk before he realized where the voice had come from. Envy's laughter only increased as the man groaned and began complaining about the scattered books on the floor that had mingled with the pile he had been sorting earlier. The rest of the afternoon went by surprisingly pleasantly. Envy discovered that Falman wasn't terrible as far as humans went, and he provided a decent amount of amusement for them, as well as displaying an adept mind that was proficient in getting their work done.

That evening the entire group sat at the table in the kitchen, and Envy insisted on sitting next to Falman, which didn't seem to bother the second lieutenant at all, and greatly surprised everyone but Mustang and Hawkeye. They had finished eating, a decent meal for once in Envy's opinion, though they hadn't bothered to voice it.

Mustang set down his fork on his empty plate and glanced around the table before letting his gaze rest on Envy. They caught his stare and returned it with a questioning look of their own. _Now what? I didn't even do anything today! Is he mad?_

"There's been a slight change in our scheduled plan. We need to leave for Lior first thing in the morning. I received a call today from Central that our presence is needed in the eastern area immediately." His tone was careful, guarded, and it had all of Envy's suspicions on high alert. They glanced from his watchful eyes to the faces of each person at the table, noting the serious expressions they all wore.

 _They're all hiding something from me. This is more than just a call for fixing a run-down hole in the wall like Lior, and why would Central be insisting Mustang take ME to a place with so many civilians so soon? Aren't they worried what I might do? Not that I would do anything, given colonel horsehead has me on such a close watch and all, and I suppose I did say I would make a little effort in this, but Central can't know that._

Frowning, they tapped their fork against their plate a few times, until the entire group was looking at them. Envy set their left elbow on the table, propping their chin against their fist as they let their gaze travel from one individual to the next before settling on Mustang.

"You're keeping a secret. I'm not stupid, much of my life involved secrets, and it's blatantly obvious there is more going on than you're saying."

Watching the unspoken conversation between Mustang and Hawkeye would have been amusing if they hadn't been annoyed at being the only one out of the loop. The rest of the team was silent as stone, faithfully waiting for their colonel's decision on the matter. Mustang frowned deeply, rubbing his hand over his chin as he regarded them with a calculating gaze.

"There is more going on in Lior than you were initially informed of, but just because you've discerned that, doesn't mean I'm required to explain everything to you. This is my judgement call to make, and I'm still of the belief that you aren't ready for this information." His tone was neutral, but unyielding, and Envy glared at him as they absorbed his words.

"Oh really? I thought I made a pretty good EFFORT today. Isn't that enough?!" Their hands clenched into fists against the table top, but they managed to keep from swiping anything onto the floor. Mustang appeared unimpressed by their ire.

"No, it isn't enough. I'll acknowledge you were improved today, and while that's commendable in its own right, it has little bearing on whether you can be trusted with this information." He raised a hand to hold them from protesting, continuing in a slightly raised voice. "I didn't say you would never be told anything, you're part of this team now, circumstantially, or by necessity. Time will tell if this has been a disastrous mistake on our part or not, I'm certainly hoping not, but my determination on **when** you are told and **what** you are told is final. Is that **clear**?" His last question was directed to everyone in the room, and was more of a statement of command than a query of compliance.

Envy observed the dutiful acceptance from the humans around them, and heaved a disgusted sigh at their unwillingness to challenge their colonel's decision.

 _You too huh Squinty? Figures. Loyal dogs to the end, the lot of them._

Settling their arms over their chest, they watched Mustang relax into his chair and the tension lifted around the room. There wasn't any point in pressing the issue, their warden would explain when and only when he decided to do so, and as much as it grated on their pride to have to acknowledge his authority in the matter, they didn't really have a choice.

It wasn't long afterward that they were heading for their room, Mustang accompanying them, and going about his usual method of securing them to their bed. They tilted their head at him as he reached a hand out to brace the side of their face.

"Why are you doing this?" The question was met with a frown from the colonel.

"I'm very certain I've already explained this to you multiple times, Envy." He sounded slightly perturbed, tired of repeating himself to them. They sighed and shook their head, ignoring the way their face bumped into his palm with the action.

"No! I get that! What I mean is, why are you suddenly being almost nice about it? You did it last night too. You don't have to force yourself to be nice." The very idea of Roy Mustang, acting kindly toward them was bizarre, in a way, it was unnerving.

"I don't have to be nice to you, I don't have to try to empathize with you, or challenge you to improve, or punish you when you lose control or act disrespectfully, but if I don't do those things, I'm not going to see if you can change, if you can grow like Edward and Führer Grumman think you can. It's also part of my own growth, as I said, in order to be the kind of leader I want to be, the kind of man I want to be, I have to know what I'm capable of, even in the most difficult situations; and being kind to an enemy, learning to work with them, trying to help them even when they don't want that help but **need** it all the same, is going to show me who I am as much as it shows me who you are." He tapped his index finger against the side of their forehead lightly, then braced his thumb over their brow bone and carefully placed the needles through their nodes.

Once he had drawn their blanket up and headed toward the door, they frowned at his back, their mind whirring as they tried to grapple with his statements. He paused at the door, his hand on the knob as he flicked the light off.

"Good night Envy."

"…Tch..!" They huffed, squashing the reply that had almost spilled from their lips. Feeling annoyed and flustered about their near slip, they watched him exit the room through the dim light of the hallway before he closed their door.

 _I almost said good night! What's WRONG with me!?Argh! Stupid humans and their sentimentality, if I'm not careful it's going to creep up and infect me like a disease._


	7. Chapter seven

Sunlight was only beginning to creep across the horizon as Mustang's team prepared to set out for the train station. Envy leaned against one of the walls in the sitting room, observing the hurried way the humans bustled about, collecting bags and document folders for the journey. Their brows furrowed together as they watched Falman place several thick files into a black briefcase, shut it, and then lock it before placing it into another luggage case and locking that one as well.

 _That's a little excessive, I bet it has something to do with all that secret information I'm 'not' allowed to know. Maybe I can sneak a peek at it later, if I can ever get away from colonel horsehead._

As if he could sense their thoughts, their warden approached them and placed one hand on his hip, the other reaching into the pocket of his uniform pants to fiddle with something. His expression was stern, and they had the distinct impression they weren't going to like whatever he was about to say.

"Envy, we will be traveling by train to New Optain and from there we will use trucks to reach Lior. I'll need you to adopt less conspicuous attire before we head out, something that covers your homunculi markings." He watched them carefully, waiting for their compliance.

They frowned at his order, glancing down to their current choice of dress and then back at his face. Shifting the form of their clothing wasn't quite as tricky as forcing their entire body to change, and the crackles of red energy snapped around their figure in twisting arcs as their new wardrobe materialized on their body. Their blue military uniform was fitted to their lithe, toned frame, but loose enough across the back and shoulders to be comfortable. They had created a hat to wear that would cover the marks on their forehead, and just to toy with their keeper they had added some extra bells and whistles to their uniform, the most notable of which were the shiny gold epaulets on their shoulders, emblazoned with the three star marks of a ranking general. They offered their warden a smug grin, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind their ear.

"Blue isn't my favorite color, but I think I pull it off well enough, what do you say, Mustang?" Their smirk didn't last long as he leaned in close to them, reaching out a hand to poke them between the eyes with his index finger.

"The day you outrank me will never come. Remove the extra trimmings from the uniform and you'll be fine."

Envy rolled their eyes, tilting their head to the side and clicking their tongue at him before altering their epaulet pattern to match that of the first lieutenant's. Mustang snorted and waved a finger at them.

"Nope. Change it."

Frowning, they changed the pattern again, lowering their rank to that of a sergeant major. Mustang arched his eyebrows at them.

"Still not right. Keep going."

Narrowing their eyes in suspicious annoyance, they did away with any decorative marks entirely, reducing their symbolized rank to that of a lowly private. Mustang smiled at them, an amused, entirely smug look of approval gracing his features.

"Perfect! Now, the next thing I need you to do is to take one of your arms out of that jacket and let me see your back." The hand that had been in his pocket came out in a fist, grasping something they couldn't see. Violet eyes flickered between anxiety and anger for a tense moment before they slowly reached up and began to unfasten the buttons of their jacket.

 _I can guess where this is going, damn you Mustang. If I could do it without getting burned I'd put my fist right in your cocky face._

They turned their back to him, their coat dangling off their left arm as they braced their hands against the wall. A slight shudder ran down their spine as they felt his rough fingers slip beneath the black shirt they wore under their jacket. The material slid upward, revealing their back and the unique v-shaped design of their nodes at their shoulder blades. Mustang gripped their shirt in a fist, keeping the material bunched out of the way as he pressed a sharp object against the central node over their spine. They hissed at the stabbing pain of the puncture, but it didn't feel as though it had gone more than a half inch in before it came to a stop, a cold, flat disc of metal holding it in place against their skin. Mustang pressed two more pins of the same style into their remaining shoulder nodes, then lowered their shirt and lightly tapped the top of their hat.

"I appreciate you cooperating so easily with me on this." He met their gaze as they turned around, his expression showing relief at not having to battle with them so early in the morning. "I can't risk you shifting your form and doing anything that might create a scene on the train or in Lior. I'm sure you can understand why it's necessary to inhibit your abilities."

"Oh I understand, Colonel Mustang, but you and I both know I'd run away before I caused a scene. That's what these are for, to keep me on an invisible leash only you can remove." They buttoned their jacket up, offering their warden a knowing sneer of contempt. It was one thing to be forced to parade around as the lowest ranking member of the team, a mere grunt, but to be trapped in a state where they couldn't use the powers they were created with, or the healing attribute of their stone on top of it, was rubbing salt in the wound.

"I wanted more time here, more time to adjust you to this team before we had to travel, but things don't always go according to plan Envy. There are times you must make the best of the situation and adapt to your circumstances." He met their anger with firm resolve, arms folded over his chest and jaw set. They puffed their cheeks out in response, huffing an agitated sigh over his unyielding demeanor.

"I AM adapting, in case you hadn't noticed! I just hate feeling like I'm trapped in a single form, and even worse, that if I'm injured it won't heal." Gnawing at their lip, they changed tactics, adopting a contrite expression that was almost passable as being genuine, peering up at him with pleading eyes and a small frown. "I swear I won't be any trouble on the train, or in Lior, can't you take them out? Haven't I earned just a little trust yet? These things are really uncomfortable, they hurt."

The colonel's dark eyes narrowed into thin slits as he stared at them in absolute silence. From behind him came a snort that had to be Breda, and it took a significant amount of their will power to not growl at the man for mocking their appeal. Mustang rubbed his hand over his chin, seeming as though he were considering their request.

 _Does he actually believe me? I know I'm good, but even I'm surprised, that was too easy._

Just as they were contemplating victory, he reached out and gave their shoulder a heavy-handed pat. He offered them an encouraging smile as he squeezed their shoulder firmly.

"I know you can bear the discomfort for now, because I know you'll behave and earn an even greater amount of trust by complying with my decisions as your warden." Smirking with a wry sort of amusement, he settled his hands back into his pockets. "That was a nice try though, you're a decent actor Envy."

Had any of the humans called them out for sulking as Mustang walked away from them, Envy would have surely attacked them, but there were few words that better fit the homunculus in that moment, shoulders hunched, arms tightly crossed over their chest, eyes narrowed, and their lips set in a glowering pout.

The colonel waved a hand into the air as he opened the front door of the house. Breda and Havoc were hauling briefcases and travel bags outside, Fuery was following them with a locked equipment box rolling behind him. Mustang glanced around the foyer and then back toward the sitting room.

"Second Lieutenant Falman, turn off the lights on your way out, Private Smartass, join me in the car with Lieutenant Hawkeye."

Envy offered their warden a mocking salute as they stalked past him and out the front door. They slid into the back seat of the waiting vehicle, watching as Mustang settled in next to them and shut the door. Hawkeye took her place behind the wheel and shifted the car into gear. Turning a bit in their seat, they could watch as Falman got into one of two vehicles that would be following them to the station. They weren't certain which human was operating the large truck, but they imagined it contained all the books they had sorted the previous day. The drive to the station was mostly silent; something they found they were glad for, as it gave them time to think.

 _Heading back to Lior, after all this time has passed. Squinty said that the city had taken heavy damage, had to be from all the rioting and chaos we stirred up there. Not that it was terribly difficult to do, heh, humans are so ridiculous. Well, most humans. This group is harder to maneuver. I'm not as skilled at coercing humans without tricking them into thinking I'm someone else. You were the one that knew how to read and manipulate the best of us all, Lust. I would never have figured out what to do without you, and now I…I'm working with the people who destroyed you._

Their eyes narrowed as a bubble of self-loathing began to fester inside them, turning a knot in their gut as their mind circled over their recent interactions with the humans.

 _I'm not a traitor…I'm NOT like him! The circumstances were different! I was trying to survive, and this, this is also surviving. I'm limited in my options right now, I just need to wait, and if I give them a little of what they want now, then I can make a better move later. Something will turn up, some opportunity! I just have to wait for the right moment. I'm playing the game Lust, that's all this is._

Reminding themselves of these thoughts quelled the emotional turmoil that had been brewing within their chest, relaxing the tension they hadn't quite realized had settled in their muscles. They turned their head away from their window, relaxing in their seat beside the colonel for the rest of the drive.

Bustling crowds of people traveling to various locations, loud whistles and plumes of smoke were the typical sights at any station they had ever perused in the past, but the station at Paumis was a stark contrast to what they remembered. Despite being part of the central province of Amestris, the city was considered small and its depot was a single brick building with a long wooden platform. The only mildly interesting thing about the station was the engine house and multiple junction tracks that allowed for freight carrier engines to load cargo without interrupting the faster, passenger trains zipping along between Central and other cities. One of these trains was pulled out on a spare track, the books and other supplies that had come in the truck being shuffled into a freight car by several workers.

They observed a few groups of people on the platform, checking tickets with the station master before boarding. A military man with a woman and a baby, an elderly couple, two young women, a middle-aged man with a bushy mustache in a striped suit, and a woman with two small boys, Envy frowned at how small the passenger line for the train was.

 _Mustang was worried I would cause trouble huh? I doubt we'll even SEE any of these people on the train, they'll take one car, we'll take the other, and I'll be stuck with my 'team' the entire trip._

Once he had made certain all the cargo was accounted for, Mustang joined Hawkeye, Falman, and Envy where they stood near the base of the platform. He gestured toward the second passenger car, and as they had anticipated, their entire team boarded into what may as well have been a private car. There were no sectioned off booths for secluded conversations in the train car. Rows of comfortable, common seats adorned the carriage on both sides, with a single aisle down the length of the center. Havoc and Breda were positioned near the right front of the carriage, Fuery was seated about midway on the left side with Falman, and Hawkeye had taken a seat opposite them with her canine. They started to walk toward the seats where Fuery and Falman were, but a hand at their shoulder brought them to a halt. Turning, they found the scrutinizing face of the colonel looking at them.

"Sit with me at the back." It wasn't a request, and as annoying as it was to constantly be ordered about by the man, they had learned it was easier not to argue about everything with him, particularly when it didn't affect any change in his decisions anyway. They settled into the seat nearest the window, absently rubbing their hands over the fuzzy fabric of the seat cushion as Mustang sat beside them. The quiet murmur of conversation from the other members of the team drifted back to them, but their focus was too bent on their warden to try deciphering any of the chatter they could hear. His posture was more relaxed now that they were on the train, and they took that as a good sign. A sluggish heave forward signaled that the engine had begun its journey from the station, and they let their gaze shift from their quiet keeper to that of the fields and hills rolling by outside the train carriage.

"You stare out the window a lot." The soft-spoken observation drew their attention away from the scenery, to a pair of questioning dark eyes.

"I do, so what?" Frowning slightly, they watched him shrug.

"It makes me wonder, why you do it? What's so special out there that catches your attention so frequently." He brought a hand to his chin, tapping at his lower lip with his index finger. "Or, is it just your way of avoiding me while we travel?" A hint of a smirk, he was teasing them.

"Every time I've tried to talk to you about anything I actually want information on, you shut me down, so why wouldn't I prefer to avoid talking to you? I don't really enjoy being lectured until my ears bleed, but that's all you ever do colonel." They raised their eyebrows to emphasize their point, to which he actually chuckled in response.

"I have been lecturing you a good deal lately, but I'm certain you need each and every word of it." He settled his arms comfortably across his chest, turning his body slightly in his seat toward them. "You mentioned earlier that you should have gained some small trust for your recent effort and behavior. I've considered it, and I'm willing to discuss some of the questions you had about what happened, on the Promised Day."

Violet eyes went wide as they stared in mute shock at their warden. They swallowed back the surprise over his offer, allowing their tongue to briefly wet their lips before their gaze became more suspicious.

"I already know some things thanks to the pipsqueak. I know about Gluttony, and I know what happened to Father. What I don't know is what became of Wrath, Pride, Sloth, or even that idiot Greed. If you're going to tell me anything, tell me what happened to them. Where are they?" They attempted to keep the strain of anxiety from their voice, but the obvious concern laced their words heavily, and they didn't bother denying it when they saw Mustang's brows arch.

"If I told you where they were, what would you do? I could tell you they were gone, dead and lost to you forever, or I could say that they were being held in similar or even more secure situations than you are. Knowing where they are won't change the conditions of your future, Envy, so that's one question I won't give you an answer to. It would only serve to increase your chances of making a serious mistake." He seemed to be aware of their displeasure over his answer, and brought a hand up to stem the tide of their temper. "I can, however, tell you some of what happened on that day, after Edward put you in that box and we continued down the tunnels."

 _I guess that's better than nothing._ Sighing in exasperated resignation, they nodded at him to continue.

"Your warning about encountering your fellow homunculi proved true, and there was a battle between Wrath and Scar, and between Edward and Pride, but the outcomes of those battles are classified for now, what I will say is that you were right about the Gate. Your father intended to force us to open it for him, and we refused to do so, but Pride had gained the ability to activate alchemic transmutation circles, and he forced the gate open with us, as if we were part of the circle." His voice grew harsh, the thick current of anger and disgust seeping through each syllable.

Envy observed the tension in his jaw and the rigidness of his posture, the darkening of his eyes as he delved into the memory of his experience. They flexed their hands against their knees and shifted uncomfortably in their seat, apprehension pooling in their stomach.

"I'd never been before the Gate, I had never seen, Truth, as it called itself. It was something I hope I never see again, but when I came back from that place, my sight had been taken from me. I could no longer see, and the prospect of continuing the fight was grim at best. Lieutenant Hawkeye became my eyes in the final battle, and with her support I was able to assist Edward." He took a slow breath at the end of his account, his demeanor calming considerably.

The homunculus fidgeted, the displeasure of being reminded of their father's failure difficult to endure, but no longer brewing a storm of rage within them. They absently found it odd that they didn't feel sickened by the loss, but pushed the puzzlement aside in favor of gleaning information on a key point from their warden's story.

"You said Truth took your sight, if that was equivalent exchange then you should still be blind." They met his gaze with a frown, that only deepened when he offered them a wry grin.

"After the battle, before we took counsel to determine what should be done with you, I was approached by an individual who could help me with my vision, provided I make some amendments to certain policies. I agreed, though I required that Havoc be treated as well. It was perhaps a day or so later that you came into my custody." He glanced at them again, watching as they gnawed their lower lip thoughtfully, their eyes narrowed to thin slits.

 _I knew they used a Philosopher's stone on Havoc! I wonder who that person is that had one. It could have been a left over from the doll soldiers, pfft immortal army my ass, little more than cannon fodder, but even if that's where the stone came from, who used it? Someone versed in medical alchemy-wait! It couldn't have been…._

"I can tell you've come to some sort of conclusion there. I'm going to guess it's about how we were healed?" Mustang met their sharp stare evenly.

"Not exactly, but you're on the right track. I'm more concerned with the person that performed the transmutation. It had to either be that Xing girl, or a doctor very well versed in the human body and the stones, of which I only know one that would have tried to help you, that bastard." Their gaze grew dark for a moment as they thought back to the only other human that had ever reduced them to their weakest form. Before they could seethe too violently over their past defeats, Mustang's hand crossed their line of sight and cupped the right side of their face, turning their head to look in his direction.

Steeled obsidian bored into startled violet as he glared disapprovingly at them, his thumb firmly hooked around the curve of their chin. Envy felt the ire inside of them fading, anxiety swallowing the flash of their temper under his threatening stare. His voice was quiet as he spoke, but the commanding confidence of his tone carried the weight of his resolve clearly enough.

"If you so much as think about going after him ever again, I will make you regret it countless times." He squeezed their face slightly in his hand, then let his palm drop back to his lap, his gaze softening into a reproachful frown. They squirmed under his gaze, rubbing their hand over their face and trying not to openly curse at him. Mustang released a long-suffering sigh.

"You know, you actually have made a little progress, set backs are to be expected, but you need to ask yourself if it's worth it. You have every option to throw all the forward steps you've made recently to the wind and revert back to how you were in the tunnels, a vicious, hateful creature, ugly inside and out." He gestured toward them. "You can do that, and you can take the heavy penalties that will come with it, or you can look at the situations of your past and see them for what they are, reflections of who you were and what you thought, and how you acted as a result of those things. The outcomes of your decisions are directly connected to your own choices Envy, and brooding over the past and allowing it to jeopardize your present and your future is a foolish decision. You should consider very, **very** carefully, how you want to respond to your past."

They jammed their arms across their chest, huffing as they listened to him talk. It was beyond irritating to them that he had so easily slipped back into scolding them. His words carried logical reasoning once again, and that was more infuriating than the tinge of embarrassment that came with his chiding.

"You're doing it again. I told you, you're always lecturing me." Grumbling at him over their verbal chastisement was easier than making any effort to truly consider his words. He responded with a snort, but when they looked up at him, his lips were pulled into a faint smile.

"And I will keep lecturing you, until you either start paying attention to what I'm saying or firmer measures become a requirement." At that he made eye contact, his brows lowering to give his expression a sterner tone that caused a wave of apprehension to rush down their spine.

 _What does THAT mean? Firmer measures? I'm not asking, I don't think I want to know._

Wetting their lips, they tugged at their uniform and smoothed their hands over the material a few times before attempting to redirect the conversation.

"So, since you saw Truth, you don't need transmutation circles anymore, do you? It's like the pipsqueak and his brother, you just clap now, right?" The nervous edge in their voice eased off as their warden nodded in affirmation. They tapped their fingers against their knees, considering the new information, then abruptly jerked in their seat to frown at him. "Then why have you been raising your fingers like you were going to snap at me all the time?!"

"Snapping my fingers was a behavior that was linked to pain in your mind, and was there for the easiest way of keeping you under control without having to exert more effort than necessary." He shrugged, unconcerned by their annoyance. "Given the circumstances, there was a need to keep certain types of information from your knowledge, since I had no way of knowing how you would respond to me initially. You should realize that in divulging some of that information I am continuing to give you opportunities to progress." With that final point, he fell silent.

Envy blinked, slowly digesting the fact that despite their attitude, he was still making efforts to work with them, to coax and lead them in the direction of whatever goal he had in mind. It was entirely alarming.

 _Who IS he? I'm never going to understand this human. I don't want to talk anymore, he gives me a headache._

Shifting their attention to the window, they spent the rest of the lengthy train ride in silence.

The station at New Optain wasn't much of an improvement from Paumis in their opinion. A brick building with a long platform, scattered people, and lots of junction tracks. The only notable difference was that this station had seating for those waiting to board their trains. Envy didn't bother indulging the view of the humans as they exited their carriage car behind Mustang. They were feeling weary of the journey, likely due to their conversation with the colonel, and had a desire to put the day behind them entirely, but to do that, they still had to drive to Lior.

They provided some assistance to the rest of the team in loading the freight from the train cars to the waiting trucks, a task that went relatively quickly considering the work force that the station had on hand. About an hour after their arrival, they were seated in the trucks, revving the engines to head out onto the dirt road. They had no intention of making small talk during this part of their journey, tucked uncomfortably between Hawkeye and Mustang, with an alert canine panting softly behind them. The steady bump and lurch of the truck as the lieutenant steered it along the road provided a lulling sensation that ebbed at their mind. The combination of the movement of the vehicle and the continuous hum of the engine eventually brought a sense of drowsiness to them, their head bobbing slightly as they tried to resist the urge to close their eyes. The last thing they recalled was staring out the windshield to distant, grassy mountains.

"Envy! Wake up!"

Snapping to attention at the sharp voice, they whipped their head around to discover the truck was parked within Lior, and the sun was beginning to set. They climbed out from the cab of the truck, adjusting their hat a bit more securely on their head as they took note of the sheer number of people in the area. Humans were active everywhere, buying and selling goods, chattering away in pleasant tones, and displaying an overwhelmingly cheery and optimistic mood. Their mouth fell open at the sight.

 _This place, it was torn apart in civil war, we made certain of it, it was a crest of blood! How are they so calm and happy? It hasn't been that long! How, do humans bounce back like this? I don't understand, it's not fair that they can just shrug it all off._

They glanced to their warden, meeting his questioning look with a frustrated glare. It wouldn't do any good to try and voice their complaints to him, he'd only spout off into another lecture about the resilience of humanity and how they needed to aspire to loftier goals and behavior. They'd had more than enough of that sort of talk for one day. Their saving grace came in the form of Falman, who joined them with a quick salute and a grin.

"I've secured the accommodations for us in the hotel across the square. Three rooms, as you instructed, at the end of the hall on the top floor. Our luggage is already being carried over." He looked down to Envy, his grin softening slightly. "How did the trip go for you? I found it a little boring myself, but here we are! I'll see if I can't find some doughnuts before we start work on the library tomorrow."

They had little concern for entertaining him at the moment, and only responded with a huff and a shrug as they continued to scan the city street. Falman seemed unperturbed by their dismissive attitude, engaging Mustang in a quiet conversation that they didn't bother eavesdropping on. Something particular had caught their gaze and absorbed their focus entirely. A tall spire rising into the sky, standing out as a blackened shadow against the dusky blue of the twilight. The tower of the cathedral of Leto. A strange chill settled in their bones as they stared at the pointed roof of the tower.

 _It's still standing. How long ago was it that we were there, in that tower together?_

A solid hand on their shoulder ripped them out of their distracted state and brought their focus back to their warden. He cast a curious look at them, but they only shrugged, hoping he wouldn't press them about anything in the middle of the street.

"I said the hotel was this way, but you kept staring at the temple, is something wrong?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but seemed satisfied when they shook their head and began to walk with him.

"No, nothing, I just, was surprised to see it is all." They tucked their hands into their pockets, frowning as they listened to their boots clop against the pavement. "It's so tall, you called it a temple?" It would be easier to allay his doubts if they feigned ignorance of the place.

"Yes, it's a place of worship for a deity that some of the people in Lior believe in. The Elric's deposed the leader of that faith as a fraud, but his followers continued to grow, claiming distrust of the military, and of those who did not agree with their beliefs. The unrest within the city grew, and the military intervened, but somehow things only got worse and war broke out in a chaotic explosion all throughout the city. It was a terrible time here. From what I understand, the small group of the populace that still believes in some of the teachings of Leto keep the temple running and live inside it, but they eschew the more violent claims of their former brethren. They've participated with much of the reconstruction efforts I've been told." Mustang chatted in a matter of fact tone, his expression giving away nothing of his thoughts as they entered the hotel and made their way up the stairs to their floor.

Their room was the last door at the end of the hall, a relatively small space with a desk and chair, a modestly sized dresser, an over-head light, a mirror, and two beds. Envy squinted at the beds as their warden closed the door and moved around them to the wall near the dresser, taking one of the suitcases and placing it onto the bed nearest the door. He opened the clasps, and began pulling out spare shirts and uniforms, neatly stacking them on the bed, then taking the stacks and placing them into the drawers of the dresser. Realization dawned on them.

"We're staying in this room, together, aren't we?"

The flame alchemist looked over at their unenthusiastic expression and had the nerve to smirk. Envy twitched. As if spending their entire journey to Lior with him hadn't been enough, now they were going to be bedding down in the same small room. Ignoring the urge to complain about their situation, as it would be a pointless effort, they crossed the room and flopped heavily onto the second bed. Lying on their back, their gaze focused on the ceiling.

"So what are the plans for tomorrow? Second Lieutenant Squinty said I'll be working on building a library with him?" They kept their eyes on the ceiling as they spoke, resting one hand behind their head and the other on their stomach.

"Not quite, the library is built, but it does need to have all the books we brought added to it. You can help Falman with that for a while." Mustang closed the lid of his luggage and began removing his uniform jacket. "What I intend to have you spend most of your day on tomorrow is a subsequent construction project. Fuery will provide you specific supervision and assistance, but the task is mostly labor intensive, transporting materials from one location to another." He sat down on the end of the bed and removed his boots.

Envy's eyes drifted from the ceiling to their warden, absently watching as he dressed down to his undershirt and boxer shorts. He folded his uniform, setting it beside the dresser on the floor before pulling out a simple pair of dark gray sleeping pants and sliding them on. He turned to face them, and adopted a contemplative look.

"If I have you sleep as you normally do, you'll lose your uniform. You and Fuery are practically the same height though, so I might be able to get a spare jacket and hat off of him for you if you lose the ones you created."

They frowned, sitting up on the bed and waving a hand as if to slow him down.

"Hold on a second, I don't need hand-outs from anyone. I actually don't need to sleep, remember? I could just sit up all night, and then you don't have to worry about finding me a spare anything." They sighed softly, pulling one knee up close to their chest and curling an arm around it. "Since you won't be removing my pin cushion status while we're here."

Their warden was unimpressed with their dry sarcasm, but he appeared to be willing to work with them to some extent, if his nodding meant what they assumed it to.

"If that's the way you want to do it, fine. I'll need your hands out in front of you." He went to his luggage again, removing a thick pair of wrist cuffs and a length of chain from one of the bags. Approaching their bed, he waited for their compliance before locking their bindings over their arms. The manacles were different than the ones they had worn at the house, thick layers of metal that bound them from wrist nearly to elbow, and were connected by a sturdy strip of solid metal rather than a chain. They tested the flexibility, finding they could not move either of their arms independently of the other in these restraints.

Their warden placed several of the pillows on the bed against the head board, and gave them time to wriggle their way back against them before binding their legs down to the bed via the chain. He wrapped the length of it around the posts, then draped it across their legs just above the rim of their boots. Clapping his hands, he transmuted the metal links into solid circular cuffs around each leg. They could shift a bit, but no more than an inch or two to either side. Mustang seemed pleased with their secured immobility, and returned to his luggage one last time. When he came back to their bed side, he had brought over a roll of bread and a bottle of water. Envy blinked at the items as he set them down in their lap.

"Bread and water huh?" They snorted and received an unconcerned shrug in response.

"It traveled the easiest, it's only for tonight, and I don't want you saying I didn't offer you food again. Now, I'm going to get some rest. There are many things on the agenda tomorrow." He sounded slightly tense at that, and their eyebrows arched as they wondered what could be so stressful about constructing a building for an alchemist, but they didn't press the issue.

Mustang crossed the room and shut off the light, then found his way back to his bed in the dim, dappled moonlight that dotted the floor from the small window of the room. He shifted about in his bed a few times, yawning softly before stilling.

"Good night Envy."

They blinked in his direction in the dark, frowning and digging their finger nails into the roll they had been given.

"Maybe for you.." It was a low grumble, almost a hiss of annoyance, but he didn't respond, and they turned their attention to wondering about what the next day was going to bring, in Lior, where so many memories were calling them.

 _I want to go there, just to walk around, stand there again, where we were. I need to find a way to get to that temple. I have to!_


	8. Chapter Eight

**A Note from me:** This chapter includes the brief introduction of a character integral to the secondary plot of this story. This character is an original creation, but is in no way meant for any purpose than to hold a role in the plot line. Also, please be aware this chapter contains bastinado as a disciplinary practice. If you are uncomfortable with physical discipline then you may want to skip this chapter. **End note.**

Lior had changed greatly since their last time in the city. Only a few hours into their work that day had proven to them that something drastic had taken hold of the populace; something that had motivated them to unite, to overcome, and press forward for improvement in their bonds as they rebuilt. It brought a distinct sense of revulsion crawling up the back of their throat, mingled with an acidic taste of bile. Humans made so much effort to improve, to triumph over their vices, but they knew how easily those efforts could be undermined-most of the time. The people they had encountered in recent years, the Elric brothers, Mustang and his unit, the warriors from Xing, these were people who seemed capable of overcoming their vices, and that confounded and unsettled them. More than that, they had concluded that Mustang's ideas about them and their own motivations were too correct too often, and it brought an overwhelming frustration upon them that they just couldn't seem to out maneuver him. Their mind had been set in a cycle all morning, mulling over their conversations with the man from the past few days while they lugged loads of lumber, bricks, and stone across the courtyard.

Falman hadn't needed as much help as he had implied the previous evening, and once they had finished bringing books into the main floor of the library, they had been reassigned to Fuery. Initially, the task of working with the reconstruction effort had been annoying to them, considering they had helped to destroy the city in the first place, it felt absurd to be aiding in repair work. On one of their trips back and forth to cart supplies, however, they had glanced up and to their left, and spotted the somber tower of the cathedral in the sky. From that moment onward, their thoughts had been a storm of debate, hashing out the dubious warnings they had picked up on in their warden's lectures and contrasting them with their own reasoning of finding a way to go to the tower. They paused in their latest trek across the courtyard, adjusting their hat carefully as their gaze lingered on the spire above.

 _I have to get up there, but if I ask to go, he'll need to know why, and that's not something I want to explain. I could just run for it, and he'll hunt me down and deep fry me, I can't change my appearance right now anyway. Damn it all._

A low grumble passed their lips as they turned their wheel cart around to push the next load of bricks to where Fuery was working with a group of other laborers. He was dutiful soldier, and as the sole individual in the area that knew the truth of their identity, had been keeping a fervent watch on them between his own tasks. There would be no hope of escaping so long as he was being so attentive.

The scaffolding the humans were using was aged in some areas, and over laden with heavy tools and bricks, plus the weight of the individuals climbing all over it, they couldn't help relating the image to an ant hill every time they looked at it. Setting their cart beside the base of the support structure, they observed the way the wooden bars of the frame shuddered each time a human walked across the narrow planks positioned as pathways around the building. They expected it to go down at any point, but hoped it wouldn't happen while they were near it.

On their next trip back to the brick pile the scaffolding finally gave out. Not all at once, but in a slow, groaning heave of creaking, snapping wood and alarmed human shouting, and a puff of dust and debris. They turned, staring at the chaos of injured humans and damaged equipment with a sneer of satisfaction.

 _How did they not know that was going to collapse? Stupidity at its finest, that's human intelligence for you, ha!_ _Idiots!_

A soft chuckle eased past their lips, but cut off sharply as they realized that in the commotion of freeing the trapped workers, there were no glances coming their way from the normally attentive Kain Fuery. Whether he was occupied helping those that were trapped, or was caught himself, they couldn't be certain, but he was no longer within their visual range, which meant they were no longer within his.

 _I could go, this is my chance!_

Glancing around quickly, they slipped behind the pile of bricks and crouched down, listening to the shouts for help from the work area. Their time to move wouldn't last long, especially once Mustang arrived from his post a street over. They had to move now. Creeping along and keeping their head low, they snaked a path around the piles of supplies toward the secondary gate of the courtyard. Their hand closed around the metal bars of the gate, but as they began to push it open, Mustang's warning from the train came flooding into their mind. Envy paused, gnawing at their lower lip as they struggled with their resolve.

 _He's going to be pissed if I escape, he'll hunt me down, he'll-wait! Wait, I'll just, come back. If I go, and then come back before too much time goes by, maybe they won't notice. They're going to be busy sorting out that mess for at least an hour or two. I can do this. I'll go and come right back, and he'll never know._

Swallowing their doubts, they shoved the gate open and took their first few steps outside of the courtyard. They paused, listening for any shouts of alarm from the one person who could ruin their plans, but when they heard none, they began a hurried journey down the streets and through the alley ways toward the temple of Leto. It was a path they knew well, having spent enough time in the city previously to recall the quickest route to their destination.

Envy hadn't bothered to worry about the handful of citizens who had been startled by a military soldier racing down the roads; in earlier times, they would have applied more caution to their approach, but given that they had an estimated limit for time, they had opted to go for speed over stealth. It was around ten minutes or so of steady running that brought them at last to the entry of the temple courtyard. They paused at the gateway, their eyes traveling up the towering spire to the balcony at the peak. They would have to climb a lot of stairs to get there, but it would be worth the effort.

Followers of Leto were milling about the courtyard, attending to the tasks of their worship and maintenance of the grounds as Envy hurried past them. A man who was coming down the main steps of the temple was openly startled at their abrupt approach toward the door. He clutched his chest and called out to them uncertainly.

"Why is a soldier from Central coming here? We've only had peace at this place for a long time now."

Envy didn't want to waste their precious time with the human, but they did their best to allay his concern, hoping to ease their own access to the temple. Adopting a friendly smile, they raised a hand in greeting as they continued to walk up the steps.

"Hello there! It has been very calm around here. I'm not an official of any kind, more like a decorated errand runner, actually. I'm here with the reconstruction effort, but I had heard this temple has amazing architecture and I had to see it with my own eyes."

Lying was simple enough, and they had over a century of practice in offering false sentiment with their words. The disarming attitude they adopted seemed to satisfy the human, and his green eyes brightened a bit as they drew near to him.

"That's a relief! Yes, this place has quite the design. If you like, I can give you a quick tour of the inner sanctum and the grounds? The sculptures inside of Leto are very impressive, and the courtyard behind the main sanctum has been enhanced with a stunning fountain. If you would please follow me, I'll take you inside." Obviously eager to show off the highlights of their temple, the worshiper quickly opened the door and ushered the homunculus inside.

The two of them passed several doors that led to various private chambers for those who lived within the temple, but the main hall of the sanctum was a cavernous room with a soaring ceiling, hanging lights, rows upon rows of benches and a large alter at the base of a carven statue of the sun deity. The human was prattling on about various art work and craftmanship that had been used within the building, and was quite oblivious to Envy's abrupt detour around the left side of the benches and back out into the hall. They made a short dash to the last door at the end of the corridor and then began a long ascent up a spiraling tower of stairs.

Each step within the narrow alcove echoed thunderously within their ears, the sound seeming almost offensive, as if disturbing a place that should have been frozen in time and sheltered from intrusion. Their gradual emergence on the tower balcony felt more like an intrusion than a relief. Envy stopped short at the top of the stairs, their gaze fixated on the place where Lust had once stood. They could see her form as it had been, her long, midnight waves falling heavily around her pale shoulders as she leaned out over the railing; her sharp gaze riveted on the chaos below, a frown of disdain pulling her wine-red lips into a tight line. They took a step forward, then another, replaying the events of that evening in their mind. The way Gluttony had stood beside her, a simple, but loyal fool, happy if only he could eat and be patted on his round, bald head by her elegant hand. They remembered perfectly the way she had turned to regard them, her amusement at their efforts to help establish the crest of blood in Lior, the way she had teased them about keeping the priest's form, the way she had laughed when they had cracked a half joke about being cute. Her laugh was such a pleasant sound, but when they closed their eyes all they heard was the wind rushing around the tower. The images of their sister's face began to change in their mind's eye, mingling with the baleful glare she had given them in their nightmare. With a sharp inhale, they stepped forward and grasped the railing of the balcony, clutching it with a slight tremble to their hands as they looked down on the city.

"Why is that how I see you? You never looked at me that way, never! Why can't I get that face out of my head? I just want to remember you how you were. I thought coming here would help, but I can't get that look out of my mind." Speaking to the emptiness around them brought no answer or solace to them, and for a time they remained silent, listening to the wind, and clutching the railing as sadness and confusion bubbled away in their mind.

Staring across the roof tops of the city did little to ease their troubled thoughts, but as they scanned the buildings their gaze eventually came to rest on the reconstruction zone and a new thought tore through their distress over their fallen sibling.

"How long has it been? If I don't get back he'll be hunting for me, and I can't hide like this. I should go." Straightening up, they took one last look to the barren space on the balcony where the specter of their sister could be seen in their memory. "I didn't avenge you, is that why you're angry with me? I could have fought him harder, but Lust he was, so much stronger than I expected. I had no chance to take him down, but maybe that's not the point. Are you angry because I'm not fighting anymore? I'm just surviving, playing the game, you know how it is, you have to wait for the right moment." They swallowed against the lump forming in the back of their throat, a tension growing in their voice as they spoke softly to the empty balcony. "I'm just waiting, that's all."

The sound of a startled cry drew their attention to the right of the balcony, breaking their train of thought at the distinctly pained tone it held. Peering over the railing, they observed a figure moving away from a crumpled body, heading with purposeful steps toward a nondescript building against the wall of the courtyard, one that appeared to be a simple tool shed to any outward appearances, but held something important inside that they clearly remembered. Watching the person wrench open the door and quickly enter the shed, they felt an impulse to follow after them and hurried down the stairs as fast as their legs would carry them.

"Curse you Mustang! If it weren't for you I could have just taken the easy way down, but now I have to run all the way!" Huffing angrily, they burst out of the sanctum and into the back courtyard. As they darted past the form on the ground, they observed fleetingly that the figure seemed withered and aged beyond recognition. The strange appearance was little more than a passing curiosity as they came upon the door to the shed and quickly followed their mystery target inside.

The room was plain enough, relatively small, stocked with gardening equipment for tending the grounds. Envy knew better than what the simple appearance offered, and carefully reached up grasp the curved, iron bar of the light fixture on the wall, twisting it upside down and then pushing it slightly inward until a distinct click was heard. They smirked as the seal of a secret door loosened, and a gentle push against the wall directly beside the light fixture opened a narrow, darkened pathway to them. Before they could step inside, the door of the shed abruptly wrenched open, spilling light into the room and exposing them in the opening of the passageway.

Envy jerked around in a mixture of surprise and terror, assuming if anyone was going to find them at a time like this it would be Mustang; much to their shocked relief, it was not their warden in the doorway, but a group of worshipers. The men appeared distressed and the one at the head of the small group raised a hand to them, as if attempting to halt them in their tracks.

"What's happening? You left your guide, and now we found one of our brothers dead in the courtyard. Someone said they saw a woman come this way. Were you following her? Are you chasing her? Did she kill Lennis? What is that behind you? What's going on here?" His voice rose with every question, fear and anger mingling in his tone. Envy didn't have time for this, but they made some effort to placate the humans.

"Yes, I'm following her to find out what she knows. It's dangerous obviously, so you should all go back to hiding in your temple or cleaning up the mess in your court yard. Leave the woman to me." That said, they hurried down the corridor, ignoring the cries to wait from the group they left behind.

They followed the passageway down as it delved deep below the temple, twisting turns and low arches dotted with dimly flickering light provided a bleak path to where they knew was a wide chamber, marked with alchemic symbols on the floor, that had once connected to four other chambers of the same design via Sloth's nationwide tunnel. Stepping into the chamber brought a flood of memory back to them, but being in a place Sloth had toiled to carve out felt less intrusive than being on the balcony had felt. They observed the fact that, like in the tunnel way, the lights were on within the chamber.

"I didn't expect anyone to chase after me. You must be clever to have figured out how to get in here, but I suppose not every military officer is a complete idiot." The voice that echoed within the room was low and full, reminiscent of their sister's seductive timbre but lacking the honeyed richness her voice had held. They watched the figure of a woman emerge from across the room, her hands settled across her chest, slightly tucked below her breasts as she stood her ground to face them.

Envy observed her sharp features, the harsh gaze of gray eyes and the condemning sneer on pale lips. Her dark hair was pulled back into a thick braid that draped over her right shoulder, a few way ward strands falling around her face but doing nothing to soften the intensity of her demeanor. She was dressed in plain civilian clothing, but their perceptive gaze took note of telltale scars intricately patterned on her hands.

"You're an alchemist." The remark was made more to gauge her reaction than to acknowledge any surprise they may have felt, though they were deeply curious how she had known of the chamber and what her plans were.

"How astute of you. From what I can see, you're nothing but a private, it's a pity you came down here, you've wasted whatever future you might have had." Sighing almost regretfully, the woman reached a hand inside her coat and withdrew a small side arm which she leveled at them. "Sometimes being nosey and reckless leads to situations you can't back out of, too bad your superior didn't train you better."

As she cocked back the hammer on her weapon, they prepared to leap for cover, but the sound of footsteps and shouting had both of them looking toward the entry from the corridor as several of the temple worshipers spilled into the room. Envy slapped a hand over their face, groaning and tugging at the brim of their hat in agitation. They ignored the woman in favor of snarling at the stunned group of humans.

"What are you doing down here?! I said I would handle this! You stupid fools! Idiot humans you're just going to get in the way!"

The men gestured toward the woman who was now standing with her firearm resting against her hip and observing the scene with a mixture of annoyance and malice.

"We thought you might need help, you didn't appear to have any weapons when you came down here! We sent someone to notify the other military officers of the situation and thought we would see how far the tunnel went down." The man who they recognized as their tour guide from before seemed sincere as he explained, though the knowledge that they had sent for the military meant that Mustang would likely be on his way there, and that brought a sense of dread to them that they couldn't hide very well. A scoffing laugh brought their focus back to the woman.

She stood with her weapon still at her side, her other hand rubbing her forehead as she observed them all. Unexpectedly, she holstered her gun, and made a casual move toward the wall of rock on her right.

"This has gotten out of hand quickly. You've caused me more trouble than I needed today." Placing her hand against the wall, she initiated a transmutation, the surface of the rock fissuring in the direction of the group of worshipers. Envy watched as the rocks of the wall lurched out, slamming into the men from behind, hooking like claws as they propelled the group of four through the air and across the room. The landings looked rather painful, but their main concern was that they had spotted an ominous red glow during her transmutation.

 _She has a Philosopher's stone!_

The homunculus shifted their footing against the stone floor, their hands settling against their lower back in an aloof stance they often adopted when sizing up potential threats. Narrowed eyes fixed on her form as she stepped in amongst the dazed and bruised men on the ground, a deep-set scowl etched into her face. She brought her hands out to either side once she was centered between the group, then dropped to a kneeling position and slammed her palms onto the stone at her feet. The crimson light of the Philosopher's stone bathed the chamber in a threatening glow as her next transmutation began to activate, and Envy found themselves surprised just slightly when the men around her began arching and shouting in pain.

They took a step forward, eyes widening as they watched what appeared to be fluid seeping out of their pores, the rapid drainage of the fluid creating a steady withering effect on their flesh and muscle tissue, till after a few short moments they had all collapsed, wheezing out ragged final breaths at her feet. The liquid swirled around her extended right arm, churning furiously in an unending spiral.

Envy blinked, uncertain exactly what they had witnessed. They had seen the Elric brothers control metal and stone and form it into moving shapes and even limbs before, and they were very familiar with Mustang's unique fire alchemy. They had witnessed kinetic explosions, chimera transmutations and transformations, but they couldn't recall seeing an alchemist work with liquid quite in this way before.

 _She drained everything from them? No, there's no blood in that, it's just the water. Rather impressive actually; but she has to get close in order to pull it out of a target, so if I keep my distance this should be fine. That looked painful, I'm not very interested in getting a first-hand experience on the process._

"That was an excessive way to kill those fools. I take it your specialty is with water, but I didn't come down here to fight you." They held up a hand, offering a non-confrontational grin in her direction. They watched her gaze grow suspicious, but pressed on carefully. "Call it a drop of wisdom, but fighting really isn't something I enjoy, people get hurt you know? What I'm more curious about is where you picked up that pretty stone you've got. The glow is a dead give-away, so please don't lie."

Her stance changed slightly, the tension in her muscles easing up just enough to make them feel a bit more confident that they could evade a physical altercation with her if they kept talking. She raised her brows as she regarded them.

"You want to know about my stone, and you don't care about the civilians, interesting. I thought the greedy types had been ferreted out of the military, seems they missed one."

Envy's face contorted into a scowl at her words. Their tone growing angry. "Don't call me 'greedy'."

She scoffed at them, then sneered as she took a few steps toward them. The water swirling around her arm continued to churn violently as she approached.

"It's tempting to offer you a little information, there's something about you that's almost peeking my curiosity, and that rarely happens." She halted approximately four yards from them, her gaze narrowing. "But I just don't have time to chat, and I'm not here looking for recruits!"

Abruptly, she lashed out with her arm, sending the spinning water out in a rushing stream that slammed into their face with unexpected force. They couldn't be certain if she was using the stone to increase the destructive power of her alchemy, but regardless, the impact knocked them off their feet and onto their back. Scrambling to their feet, they lurched to the right, seeking a path to get around and come at her from the side. Even with their powers locked away by Mustang's devices, they still had some skill in physical combat, though they'd rarely won against many of their more recent opponents.

Their forward momentum unexpectedly halted with a sharp jerk that brought them crashing to their knees, and as they snarled and whipped their head around to look at their feet, they discovered that there was a thick, spiraling vortex of water around their left leg from the knee down to the ankle. The pressure on their limb was surprisingly strong, a tumultuous current that they couldn't seem to drag their leg out from. The water was connected to the fluid the woman had circling her arm, and as she grinned at them, she raised her other hand into the air, her side arm pointed toward the ceiling of the cavern.

"Did you know that the foolish followers of Leto tunneled into the roof of this chamber without ever realizing what was below them? They had found the spring they needed for their fountain just beyond this structure, and they used pipes to bring that water to their fountain. Of course, Lior is a struggling city, rather poor since the rioting, so the metal they had to use is quite frail and thin. I imagine a few bullets would sufficiently crack it. How many do you think it will take?" She fired and the explosive concussion of the gun was followed by the screech of metal as the bullet ricocheted off the piping that they could just make out in the dim shadows above them. Envy glared at her arrogant sneer, attempting to yank their leg free of the current around it only to be jostled against the floor when she snapped her arm and the water surging about them. Her next shot thundered in the cavern, accompanied by the groan of impacted metal.

 _Damn this alchemist! If I could shape shift I would have killed her twenty times over by now! I can't do anything like this! I don't even have a weapon! Mustang you idiot! This is your fault! Where is he anyway? I thought those useless fanatics went to get him?_

Their thoughts were interrupted by a third shot and the shriek of metal, followed by the sound of spraying water, and a light sprinkle of water splattering down onto the stone floor around them. Holstering her weapon, she spread out the fingers of her left hand in the falling water, her smile widening as the poorly manufactured pipes groaned and fractured, increasing the volume of water cascading around them. The array scrawled into the flesh of her hand began to glow with the crimson of the stone's enhanced power, and as Envy's face contorted with genuine fear, a sizable torrent of water rose up in a massive wall and then crashed down over them.

The water rolled them in a tumultuous circle, spinning them end over end in a looping current that they couldn't force their way out of. As they were dragged past the floor they attempted to latch onto a rock for stability, but the force of the rushing water pulled them backward, their fingers slipping from the edge of the stone as they were turned and tossed within the swirling stream. Their lungs began to ache from the exertion of fighting the water's flow, and it wasn't long before they were sputtering, the burning sensation of fluid filling their mouth and forcefully invading their lungs making them gag and jerk violently. Their eyes squeezed shut as they tried to fight the crushing force of the water surrounding them, the helplessness only added to their panic as they felt a dizzy numbness encroaching on their mind and limbs.

 _I can't breathe! It hurts! I'm going to die!_

Fear gnawed at their mind, fighting the bleak shadows that were pressing in on their consciousness. If they were to perish with their access to their stone's powers cut off they had no certainty of their recovery. They had only witnessed one homunculus die in such a state before, and he hadn't come back until Father had found a new use for him. As they swirled about helplessly in the vortex they wished they could reassure themselves that they would be fine, that regeneration would happen, but they couldn't shake their doubts. Unexpectedly, the water around them began to warm, a strange sensation that they couldn't determine the source of given their disoriented state. The current seemed to slow slightly, then vanished altogether as their body hit the stone floor with a heavy, wet plop. Immediately they started retching the water from their lungs, coughing and heaving a mixture of fluid, bile, and saliva onto the ground as their lungs tried to expel the water and take in precious air.

Their limbs trembled as they gagged and gasped in a hunched over position, and it was some length of time before their ears had drained enough that they could make out the sound of their name being called. Blearily, they blinked at their surroundings, finding Hawkeye and Havoc standing just in front of them, weapons drawn, and Mustang with his arms raised as if he had just clapped, large tendrils of steam curling into the air around him. He lowered his arms and balled his hands into fists at his sides, his words laced with angry tones they remembered well.

"She's gone into the tunnels."

He turned then, and they suddenly felt uncertain if they would have been better off drowning to death as his furious gaze zeroed in on their soggy form. Mustang's boots slapped against the wet floor as he stalked toward them, his jaw tight with anger.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" The backhand that accompanied his outrage sent them sprawling onto the ground, and they had barely a second to shake the stars from their vision before he was hauling them to their feet by their uniform. Unable to keep from shaking in the wake of his fury, they were entirely unprepared for his next remark.

"You idiot! You had no business engaging an enemy on your own! I didn't bring you here so you could blunder off by yourself and get killed!" He gave them a rough shake, then dropped them to their feet, steadying them by fisting the collar of their soaked jacket. They wanted to question his statements, wanted to offer some sort of explanation, or lie to reason their presence in the chamber, but their throat was still burning and all they could do was cough and wheeze. Mustang's nostrils flared as he glared down at them, and then he began moving, hauling them back up the passage way out of the chamber. They passed Breda, Falman, and Fuery on their way out, all of whom gave them various looks of anger or disappointment as they were dragged by.

"Get down there and help recover the bodies, then seal off the entry way to this hell hole!" They responded to his order instantly, hurrying down to where Havoc and Hawkeye were below.

Much to their dismay, Mustang refused to look at, or speak to them as he marched them relentlessly across the courtyard of the temple and out to the street. A gathering of civilians and military personal stood about several vehicles, some marked with medical symbols. Their warden yanked them past the onlookers toward one of the last vehicles in the line, a small transport with a revving engine and a uniformed driver at the wheel. He gave a growling order to be driven to the hotel, and then fell silent, his burning gaze fixing on them from time to time as the car traveled down the roads. Envy did their best to avoid eye contact, the dread of what his rage would unleash on them stirring a tremor in their body that they couldn't contain. They were bleakly aware of several things that kept drumming ominously in their mind.

 _He's furious. I screwed up big time. What's he going to do to me? I'm soaked everywhere, and I lost my hat. That bitch tried to kill me! Mustang probably WILL kill me! Great, I almost drowned, and now I'm going to be barbequed. Why does everything I do always end up with my ass in trouble?_

Their transport came to a stop outside their hotel, and their fear only grew as the colonel gripped their wrist in a vice-like hold, and pulled them from the vehicle. There was no denying the obvious spectacle they made as they were firmly escorted into the hotel and up to the room they were staying in with their warden. The shameful image of their short journey as they stumbled to keep up with his long stride, their soggy uniform slopping around their legs and their wet hair plastered down over their face, only served to further impress on them the severity of their situation.

Once they had reached the room, Mustang released his hold on their arm and locked the door. He paced back and forth, his arms folded over his chest as he seemed to be determining what he would do with his wayward prisoner. For their part, Envy attempted not to direct his attention to themselves any sooner than it would come, anxiously balling their fists at their sides and biting their tongue to keep silent.

The colonel halted mid-stride, then turned to face them, his right hand rubbing over his forehead, briefly massaging his temples before sliding slowly down his face. His dark eyes bored into the homunculus with resolute determination.

"Remove your wet clothes and shoes, then go and sit on your bed. I need to check your body for injuries." His voice was clinical, devoid of any emotion that would give away a hint to other intentions, and it deeply unnerved them how hard he was to read now that they were alone together. Warily, they began removing their jacket, shirt, and the rest of their uniform, watching the garments fizzle out into specs of alchemic ash as the connection between them and the energy that had created them was severed. Bereft of any barrier, they swallowed their anxiety, and took a seat on their mattress, watching with wide eyes as he approached them and leaned in close, his gaze sweeping their exposed form to examine the bruises that had blossomed on their pale flesh.

"You don't appear to have any serious injuries, lucky for you, considering the way we found you." His tone carried a strange note to it that they couldn't correctly place, though they distinctly heard the mingle of anger there once again. Mustang continued, his voice fluctuating between outrage, disappointment, and that other tone.

"You're going to have a lot of explaining to do, and do NOT mistake me, you're going to face a heavy penalty for what happened today. What were you thinking Envy? Escaping! I gave you a measure of trust and you threw it in my face! You ungrateful, selfish, conniving little-!"

"I was going to come back!" Blurting out in the middle of his furious tirade seemed the only option available to them. They brought their hands up, their palms facing him in a placating gesture as they swallowed thickly and tried not to let their voice waver. It was difficult to face his rage when they were so utterly exposed with his threatening presence looming over them. He stared at them silently, eyes narrowed and jaw tight.

Exhaling a long breath, the colonel took a step back and settled his hands on his hips, his gaze remaining stern, but less outraged.

"You were planning to come back?" He sounded incredulous.

"I was! I did sneak off, but I didn't try to escape, I knew you'd hunt me down and I was stuck like this anyway! I swear I was going to come back!" They bit into their lower lip as they searched his face for signs that he believed them.

 _I'm telling the truth damn it, come on Mustang!_

Their warden stared at them with a sharp, calculating gaze as they squirmed on the bed uncomfortably. They hadn't pushed him this far, openly defying his commands so brazenly, and they were slightly terrified of what the repercussion would be, whether they wanted to acknowledge it or not. Slowly, Mustang reached out and took hold of their chin with his right hand.

"We're going to deal with the consequences of your actions first, then we will discuss what happened with that woman." The non-negotiable firmness in his voice made their throat feel dry, but they nodded slightly which satisfied him enough that he left them on the bed to rummage around in one of the dresser drawers.

A small pair of gray under shorts were tossed onto the mattress. They glanced at the garment a moment before looking back to where their warden was moving out a medium sized piece of luggage away from the baggage collection he had tucked against the wall. Mustang glanced over at them, frowning.

"Put those on, then I want you to hold your arms out in front of you."

Gnawing at their lower lip anxiously, they slid the shorts on, finding the waistband to be slightly larger than their current size, making the garment sit mostly on their hips. Under other circumstances they would have quipped at him about allowing them to simply form a perfectly fitted outfit onto their body, but they were certain this wasn't the time for such remarks. Mustang was quick and efficient, snapping the arm cuffs they had spent the night locked in back onto their arms as soon as they had offered them.

He reached into the bag he had brought over with him, removing a belt with harness buckles attached at the sides. Slipping the belt around their waist, he secured it and then turned them at the shoulders to face their bed.

"Lay down on your stomach."

It was difficult to climb onto the mattress with their arms locked together, but they managed to crawl into position after a moment and stretch out on top of the bed. Resting slightly on their elbows, they could twist about and peer back over their shoulder, watching as he secured the buckles of their belt to tethers fastened to the bed frame. The fastenings were pulled taut, and they discovered they had next to no room for moving to either side. Their brow furrowed as they tried to reason out what he was planning to do with them, but were startled when he bent their legs back and then locked them down against an unyielding, heavy surface. The straps tying their ankles and lower calves in place were fixed to a slanted object that left their legs bent at a comfortable level, and their feet raised in the air.

Mustang stepped around to their left side, and their eyes widened considerably as they observed a narrow, flexible rod held in his hands.

 _Shit! Is this what firmer measures meant?_

"You and I have spoken about taking responsibility for your decisions. I want to know how much of that has really connected for you. So, I'm going to ask before we begin, what offences are you about to be punished for?" There was a note of genuine curiosity to his question, but his disapproval came out the strongest. They swallowed thickly, flexing their fingers against the pillow they had rested their arms on.

"Sneaking off?" It was a weak answer.

"And?"

They chanced a quick look at his face, finding his stern visage rather daunting given their position. Despite their best effort, they couldn't bring any other serious issues to mind that were as bad as their blatant escape. In a bid to placate him, they offered the only thing that they could think of.

"Making Fuery look incompetent?"

Mustang's frown deepened, and then he moved toward the end of the bed. They tensed, waiting, and the sound of a thin object swishing through the air, followed by a sharp pop of contact signified that he was done speaking with them. In shock, they realized that he had struck them across the center of the underside of their left foot. The pain was faint initially, but as the rod came down a second, third, fourth, and fifth time, the sting began to develop into a dull burn. Envy wet their lips as they grasped onto their pillow a bit tighter, frowning as he tapped the center of their foot with the end of the rod.

"The incompetent individual in this situation would be you, Envy. Not only did you damage what little trust you had earned before, but you've landed yourself in several stages of trouble, and you still have the nerve to make a snide remark about someone. Fuery carries no responsibility for what you did. You seized upon a moment when he was unable to watch you, pinned down by debris, and you used that as an opportunity to escape and pursue your own goals. It has been stressed numerous times that you are not a free individual. You are a prisoner of war, a captive of the military, under my watch. You do not have any right to do as you please, you have no rights other than the ones I deem fit for you to have, yet somehow you determined that it would be acceptable for you to flee and attend a personal errand, so long as you returned at a self-appointed convenient time." He sighed deeply, seeming to collect his composure.

"I should just burn you, reduce you back to that small, parasitic form you have, and put you back in a jar."

Envy's eyes went wide at the threat, a gasp escaping them as they tensed. _Is he serious? He can't be planning to actually do that to me! I co-operated didn't I?_

"I ought to do it, but I would prefer if this method is just as effective. We'll find out." His words proceeded a steady series of swishes and pops as the rod connected repeatedly with the center of their left sole. The pain blossomed into a throbbing heat, and as each strike connected with their skin, falling to land in approximately the same place as the one before, they began to flex their foot in growing duress. Their toes curled and spread, their legs jerked reflexively with each chastening blow. Wincing, they uttered a sharp hiss at a particularly biting strike.

Their mind reeled as they attempted to reconcile their situation. _Why does this hurt so much? It's only the bottom of my foot! How long is he going to keep hitting me with that thing? It's burning!_

It was becoming increasingly more difficult to keep from whimpering as the pain intensified, and to their dismay, Mustang brought the tip of the rod over to their right foot, lightly tapping the untouched skin as they reflexively curled their toes.

"I'm still unclear about your reason for going to the temple today, but that's something we can discuss later. What concerns me more, is that you created a situation that led to the loss of several lives. You may not think much of humans, but to arbitrarily lead them into a situation where they could be slaughtered is unacceptable." Their warden's stern words were punctuated by several snapping blows to their right foot.

Envy grunted in response, sucking in air through their teeth in a bid to not debase themselves by shouting out. Their attempt was potentially futile, they knew, but all the same they held on, determined to bear the pain as long as they could endure.

"I didn't tell them to follow me! I told them to stay out! It's not my fault the idiots died!" Their complaining growl was abruptly turned into a yelp as the rod cracked down across the center of both their feet at once.

"They saw you go through the door, they knew you were with the military since you had introduced yourself as an officer and paraded around the temple already, they believed you were chasing down a suspect in the murder of one of their own, and they were concerned for your safety!" Raising his voice in irritation, Mustang brought the rod down across their feet several times. "If you hadn't been there they would not have gone down into that cavern, they wouldn't have died. You should never have been there!"

Trying to hold out against the pain was a losing battle, and their last wall of stubborn defense crumbled with the continual build-up of heat and sting in their nerves. Every strike layered over the last, compounding the degree of pain radiating in their feet. Moisture pooled in the corners of their eyes as their breath hitched and their nails dug deeply into the pillow under their arms. Their head jerked upward at every blow, the tremble of their lower lip and the trickle of a hot a tear down their cheek a prelude to the chorus of shouts and cries that soon were spilling from their lips as he continued to punish them. Their feet were awash in pain, the sensation of each swipe of the rod digging in like a searing knife. Their muscles quivered as they jolted uselessly against their restraints, eventually dropping their head against their arms and sobbing without regard to their pride.

They weren't certain at what point he had stopped, but they did become aware of the fact that his hand was resting on the back of their head. The touch felt out of place, strangely comforting, and alarming all at once. He didn't speak, allowing them some time to take in several ragged breaths between their hitched sobs. He sighed heavily, his fingers curling in their damp hair briefly before he removed his hand.

"I've been lenient with you, Envy. Most of your disrespect I've ignored because that's part of who you are, and I know this is the hardest thing you've ever had to do in your long life. You agreed to accept the responsibility and the consequences of your decisions. Do you understand that your punishment is a direct consequence of your own actions?"

They sniffled loudly, unwilling to lift their head from the pillow as they considered his words. Gripping the material in their hands, they allowed a short, tearful, muffled reply of acknowledgement.

"I do."

Their warden tapped the rod against their right foot, earning a whimper and a shudder from them as their muscles tensed in anticipation of renewed chastisement.

"Are you going to try to escape again?"

Swish. Snap.

"NO!"

"Not even on a temporary sight-seeing trip?"

Swish. Snap.

"I won't!"

"That's good to know. Are you going to recklessly endanger the lives of others in the future?"

Swish. Snap. Snap.

The extra sting of the second blow brought a howl from their lips that was only marginally absorbed by their pillow.

"No! I won't!" They sobbed, trembling against the bed as their feet throbbed helplessly. "Mustang! Please, I can't take any more, stop!"

He paused, lightly dragging the tip of the rod over their sensitive soles.

"You can't? I thought homunculi were superior to humans? This isn't some unique punishment concocted for you alone. Humans have undergone this and other similar forms of corporal consequences for centuries, Envy. Are you unable to bear what an average human could endure?" His tone was slightly mocking, and a resentful barb of outrage reared up in their mind at the sound of it.

"I'd like to see you suffer this w-way and not want it to s-stop!" A series of poignant sniffles minimized their agitation. It was hard to do anything but whimper and cry by this point, their desire for their punishment to end far greater than that of displaying their annoyance at his teasing.

"There's one last thing I'm displeased with you about. You put yourself in a dangerous position, knowing you couldn't heal. You had no defense, no weapons, and you engaged an enemy. You are part of this team, like it or not, and that means you act as part of this unit when encountering an assailant. I would be furious with any of my subordinates if I discovered they had stupidly put their lives at risk. You will never again engage an enemy without my express command to do so. Is that clear?!"

His sharp reprimand was punctuated by one of the harshest strikes they had yet received across their feet. The blow resonated as a crack within the room, followed by a wail of agony and a renewed blubbering from the homunculus. Their weeping subsided after several minutes, and only then did they realize he had rested his hand against their back, providing a steadying pressure just above their waist. Their ears detected the sound of buckles unfastening, and the tension that had immobilized them during their punishment eased off as their restraints were removed.

To their shock, their warden guided them up onto their knees on the bed, staring into their tear-soaked face with an expression that was stern, but strangely sympathetic. They blinked, watching as he removed the uncomfortable cuffs from their arms before setting them back into the bag along with the other restraints. Envy took a moment to reach down and touch their aching feet, only to jerk their hand away when the pressure against the raised, welted flesh unleashed a flare of pain. They whined, catching his gaze and feeling their face flush as he shook his head at them.

"It's going to be painful for a while, I wouldn't try to rub my feet if I were you. Scoot over a bit, we're not finished yet." The colonel motioned for them to move with his hand, taking a seat beside them on the mattress as they anxiously shifted over a few inches and stared at him warily.

 _Why aren't we finished? Wasn't that enough? What else is he going to do? I've had enough!_

They swallowed thickly, their lower lip wavering as they sniffled at the thought of what more he could possibly do. Instead of continuing to punish them however, he ran his hands through his hair and sighed lightly. Glancing at them from the corner of his eyes, he settled his arms across his chest and raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Do you have something to say?"

"My feet are on fire."

He smirked at them, letting out a huff of amusement.

"They aren't, though I imagine they feel like they are. I could always give them a little spark if you really think you need it." Another tease, but all the same they cringed at the thought.

"No! No, I'm fine like this."

"Good, then we should move forward, and that's going to require a discussion, and something you'll prefer over being punished."

"What's that?" They sniffled softly, adjusting to the ache in their feet as much as possible.

"Listening to a lecture from your warden." He smiled good humoredly, arching his brows for emphasis as they let out a heavy sigh.

"Lucky me."


	9. Chapter nine

**A quick note:** I haven't abandoned or forgotten this story. I apologize for taking so long to get the next chapter out, but I've had some upheaval in my personal life recently. Things are smoothing out, but updates may be a bit slower than they were previously. I'm hoping to update at least once a month during the Summer, possibly sooner if time allows. Thank you for waiting. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's where things shift gears a bit, in a good way. **End note.**

 _What is he thinking about? I wish I could figure him out, he keeps turning me in circles. I'm not part of this team, it's foolish to just pull in an enemy like that, and he knows it! So, why does he keep saying it then? It has to be some sort of trick, some way to get me to let down my guard, but for what purpose?_

Their mind raced with possible motives for their warden to be coercing them, but nothing came to a logical conclusion. Envy was utterly baffled, watching the colonel rub his chin thoughtfully in a confounded silence that was only broken by their occasional sniff. Their feet ached horribly, but they weren't sure if they should mention it to him. At length, he settled his gaze on them, his brows furrowed over his dark eyes.

"I want to know why you were at the temple. You claimed never to have seen it before, but you knew your way there easily enough, and you managed to find your way into that underground chamber too efficiently. I'm aware I've called you an idiot in the past, and while you do make foolish decisions I don't really believe you're stupid, so explain yourself." His eyes had narrowed slightly, his gaze scrutinizing as he waited for them to respond.

Envy squirmed under that intense look, uncomfortable with how direct he was. There really wasn't any room left to lie their way around the situation. They wet their lips nervously, taking a deep breath before dropping their gaze to their knees.

"It was a lie, I've been in Lior before. I was here for quite a while, with Lust and Gluttony." Their fingers curled into loose fists at their sides as they thought about their next words. "I went to the temple because, it's the place we spent the most time together at while we were here. I wanted to stand where we had stood, to remember how she had looked and spoken there because…." They trailed off abruptly, unwilling to finish their explanation aloud.

 _Because I miss her and I can't have her back._

Mustang exhaled a soft breath, and they observed him pinching the bridge of his nose lightly.

"You were here before. Does that mean you were here before or during the riots?" A grumble of irritation escaped him and he turned an angry scowl on them suddenly. "Were you involved in the riots Envy? If I look at every place where there has been turmoil and death in this country am I going to find you were part of it?"

They flinched at his expression and the sharpness of his tone, their hand sliding back reflexively to protect their aching feet. An anxious look settled on their face as they peered back at him and nodded. Mustang threw his hands up in exasperation, his fingers dragging slowly down his face before settling onto his knees.

"Lior was a point on the array your father was creating, the same goes for Ishval, I knew about your instigation of that war, it makes sense that you were involved here as well, but the other skirmishes in the country happened such a long time ago, you were involved in all of them?"

The colonel's expression had softened somewhat, less angry and more puzzled as he looked them over. It took them a moment to understand his line of questioning before their violet eyes widened and a snort of amusement escaped them.

"Homunculi don't age like humans do; I've not been careful with keeping an exact count, but I'm sure it's close to a hundred and seventy-five for me now." They caught the flicker of surprise in his eyes and flashed a quick smirk in response.

 _Look at that, I finally stunned him about something. Yes, Colonel Mustang, I'm much older than you are, lot of good it does me huh? Well, here's some more information to chew on._

"I've been involved in nearly every war this country has participated in. My main task was to be an instigator in father's plans. From the moment I could properly control my abilities I was sent out to help achieve his goals, it was what I was designed for, to be the ultimate mask." They couldn't help grinning with pride as they spoke, it was a hard habit to break to be smug about their abilities and their unique role in their sire's schemes, even if those plans had fallen apart at the end.

"Once you could properly control them, so you needed time to train yourself after you were, created." Mustang's expression turned thoughtful again as he regarded them. "Tell me about your family."

Envy faltered, their smile slipping into a confused frown.

"My family? Why?"

"Because I want to know about the relationships you had with one another."

He shrugged, then leaned back against the head board of the bed, appearing to get into a more comfortable position. Envy shifted around a little, though not for the sake of finding any comfort. They didn't like the way this conversation was veering. Talking about their family just wasn't something they did with anyone, certainly not someone like the Flame Alchemist.

"I don't know where to start." They glanced in his direction, distressed at his unwavering eyes, and focused expression.

Mustang appeared unperturbed by their pathetic attempt to stall or divert the discussion. He tilted his head slightly to the left and gestured toward them with his hand.

"I don't believe someone that runs their mouth as much as you do can't figure out what to say. If it really is that hard though, then start at the beginning. Your birth, or creation, and go from there." His dark brows arched slightly as he regarded them, patiently, and it brought a prickling of irritation from the back of their skull as they met his gaze.

"Fine." Huffing in flustered defeat, they narrowed their eyes and allowed their annoyance to seep into their tone as they poured through the memories of their long years. "Father was for all accounts a living Philosopher's Stone, pulled from the Gate itself, and because of that he could create, or expel from himself, other homunculi. I was the fourth created, after Pride, Lust, and Greed. It wasn't an exceptionally marvelous event, my coming into existence. If anything, it was a disappointment."

They met his frown with a sneer of bitterness, flicking their tongue over their lips as they relived the unpleasant first moments of their life in their mind.

"We may have been born from the same being, but that kind of bond isn't as close for us as what you humans cling to with each other. The instant I could understand my surroundings I was met with disgust and ridicule from all of them. Father was the only one to quell their demands that I be destroyed and remade, insisting they wait to see what I could do. Pride was unimpressed of course, and Greed was trying to get Lust to bet with him on how many days the 'ugly worm' would last. I spent several days in a dimly lit room, alone except for Pride's watchful eyes skirting through the shadows. It took me a long time just to coordinate my body properly, to crawl without falling, to speak, finally. That form is typically parasitic, I needed fuel in order to use my abilities, and the only kind I could get myself in that place were vermin. Greed decided I was father's greatest achievement in pest control. Pride insisted that I was designed for something important, I had to be if father wanted me kept alive, because father was **never** wrong, but he made sure to threaten me enough that it would end painfully if I didn't start producing results beyond decimating the rodent population." They snorted, observing the subtle changes on their warden's face as he listened to them.

"Lust was the one to finally bring me something I could really use. I don't know if father told her to do it, or if she figured it out on her own, but she brought me several chimeras to absorb and I was able to take on my larger form, you know, the one I attempted to fight you in, the full power of my core was unveiled for everyone to see for the first time. I was so proud of myself, and I delighted in the display I made, the fury and agony of the souls in my stone, the way the ground trembled under my claws, and then I heard that bastard laughing. He was flat on his back, howling about how he never imagined I would get uglier. Pride attempted to silence him, but only offered a scathing remark that I appeared strong, but was too conspicuous to send on any assignments, and therefor useless to father's goals. Father looked displeased, it was the first time I had seen him regard me that way, it wouldn't be the last time. I was sent back to the room, my 'pit' as Greed called it, until I could show myself to be useful. I spent a lot of time in there being angry and useless of course." Envy's gaze hardened as they spoke, their fists clenching against the bed sheet.

"I hated Greed, his obnoxious grin, blithering insults, and his stupid laughing. Pride was too close to father, he was perfect, everything I should have been and couldn't be, and I loathed him for it, but I was afraid to challenge him outright. I could never tell where he would come from when he visited me, and I didn't like his gloating. Lust was the only one that I couldn't pin any direct hatred on. She would come when the darkness was empty of prying eyes and talk with me, coax me to test my limits, and ultimately, she was the one who guided me to unlock my full ability. I'll never forget the look on Greed's face when we came into father's chamber side by side, an identical pair." Contempt and amusement curled their lips upward at the memory.

"From that moment forward, father sent me on assignments with Lust to continue shaping his plan for the future. Spreading stories of the Philosopher Stone, educating humans on the principles of alchemy, goading different factions of humanity into skirmishes and wars, we were busy back then, traveling all the time, and seeing the world. Lust was always there to catch me when I screwed up, push me back onto my feet when Pride or Greed tore me down, shake me back to reality when I had angered father with one of my failures." They frowned, faltering as they let their mind whirl with long ignored conversations and adventures they had shared with the sultry homunculus.

Mustang shifted beside them, his expression a mixture of puzzlement and displeasure. He brought a hand to his chin, massaging his jaw with a finger as he mulled over whatever thoughts were running through his mind.

"You had a close relationship to her then, I took her for a cold murderess, which I still believe she was, but it seems she had another side for you. This, is why you've been so angry over her death." He nodded to himself, then brought his focus back to his charge. "What about the others? There were seven of you, aside from your father."

Envy sighed heavily, shrugging in a noncommittal manner.

"Sloth, and Gluttony were considered like me, powerful but flawed to some extent, and in need of watching. It wasn't long after Gluttony had been made that Greed betrayed us all and fled like a cowardly rat. We hunted for him a while, but father assumed he would come back eventually, and could be dealt with when he did. Then Wrath was made. I didn't like him at first, he was too cocky, too much like Pride, which is probably why they worked so well together. Wrath was the youngest of us all, but he had no respect for anyone other than father and Pride. For all the long years we'd cultivated this country together, formed it from scattered tribes into a functioning governed state, brought it power and wisdom from beyond the Gate, and despite my involvement in nearly all of it, I was always under scrutiny, punished any time I made the smallest mistake, and kept up with as if I was as simple minded as Gluttony. Lust was the only one who ever cared, who treated me like my input and efforts were worthwhile, even if she did scold me, she was there when things were difficult. She was always there." Their voice strained slightly as they bit back the cold emptiness of her loss, not wanting to sink into the grief that remained buried inside of them.

Envy rubbed their hands over their face, hissing softly to ward off their fluctuating emotions. Talking about their past had brought so many feelings to the surface, and around their warden that was risky. The last thing they needed was to have him start attempting to make connections between the two of them again. They startled at the unexpected touch of a hand brushing down their arm, and peered up in shock at the colonel. Mustang's face was somber, an understanding in his gaze that pierced them and brought a violent wave of despair up from the bowels of their being. They jerked away from his hand, snarling as their body trembled.

"Don't look at me like that! You asked! You insisted on knowing! What did you think I would say Mustang? Homunculi aren't like you insipid humans! Why do you think I'm like I am? Huh?! I've spent more than a century boiling with hatred for my kind and yours! The **only** person I **ever** found a bond with is gone now, and I'll **never** get her back!" They clutched at their hair, no longer fighting the prick of hot liquid building in their eyes. "You keep spouting at me about being part of this team, but we both know that's not true. How can it be true? How could you put a **monster** on your team Mustang?! I'm always going to be on the edge of disaster for them, your precious humans, and you know it!" Hot trails slipped down their cheeks, their distress growing as their warden stared at them in silence, neither confirming nor denying their ranting. "Why do you keep doing this to me? **Why**?! Your pathetic group will never be a good fit for me, I'm not one of you, I'm not **human**!"

"Does that really matter?"

The question caught them off-guard, sobering their agitation instantly as they focused on him in stunned disbelief. The colonel scrutinized them intently, his brow furrowed as he reached out a hand and slowly grazed his thumb through the liquid on their right cheek. He lifted the digit up, observing the moisture on his skin before showing it to them.

"You're struggling with so much right now. Everything you were molded to be by your father, everything you were expected to accomplish, and all your failures. The way you talk, it's like you want to be ostracized forever, but I don't think you really want that. It's hard being alone, I'm not going to pretend I know what you must be feeling, lost, without any of your own kind to turn to. You've been forced to rely on former enemies, torn down and broken, and now those same people are trying to establish bonds with you. It's beyond your ability to understand, I know." He sighed deeply, shifting on the bed, and observing them with a look caught somewhere between pity and obligation.

Envy felt their stomach heave in revulsion under that look. Fresh tears spilled traitorously down their face.

"You've brought yourself to such a low point, and it's miserable for you. You acknowledge this much, but what you don't want to accept is that you don't have to stay here. Growing is never easy, Envy. Human or homunculi, life is a journey that continues to shape us no matter how long we live. The people who move in and out of our lives all play a role in what we experience, but we chose who we become. If you want to remain a monster it's your choice, but I'm here **trying** to make you understand that you can decide not to be one. When are you going to hear me?" Mustang shook his head slightly, his chest filling with a deep breath that released slowly, tiredly, into the room.

"You have flaws, you were born with them, you have deep scars and horrible interpersonal skills, and despite being as old as you claim to be, you behave like a rude, selfish brat with no control over their mouth. You're spiteful, frustrating, and over emotional."

The list of negative points did little to alleviate their spiraling mood, and while they wanted to stem the rush of fluid leaking from their eyes, clear, salty tears continued their course unabated down their face. They grimaced at the display they were making, crying because of the truth, but that was a common situation for them.

"If I'm so terrible, why are you bothering to keep giving me chances. You want me to change, you want me to prove I can be better, you want me to just turn my back on everything I've ever been; well I don't know **how** Mustang! I don't know how to be better! I can't prove anything to you because I'm always screwing up!" Balling their fists, they jammed one against their face, scrubbing it across the wet trails of tears.

Their warden placed his hands on their shoulders, drawing their attention to him as he leaned in close to them. The proximity made them uneasy, but Mustang was deeply focused on their eyes, searching their watery violets for something they couldn't name. After what felt like far too long to Envy, he finally leaned back, but his hands remained on their shoulders, squeezing lightly.

"The fact that you want to prove yourself, that you're trying is a step in the right direction, Envy. I told you that I would be here with you on this journey, whether you want it that way or not. If you really want to move forward, then you need to stop being so aversive to me." His grip tightened subtly on them. A heavy tone laced his voice as he continued.

"I'm not trying to force you to replace the family you lost with this team. You don't need to do that, ever. The reality is every individual here has blood on their hands, our motives have been different from your own, and you took an enjoyment in things that put you on a different level than the rest of us, but we can find ways to understand and move forward together; **if** you can recognize the need to change, and make the effort to do so, if you can follow my lead, I'll help guide you out of all that pain and hatred you have been drowning yourself in. You can be part of this team if you really want to be, if you work for it earnestly and honestly."

Envy swallowed the lump that had formed in their throat, blinking as they absorbed his words.

 _Do I want this? I never asked for his pity! I'm Envy, I can't allow humans to help me, to show me compassion!? But if that's true, why does it feel so good when he looks at me like this? Like he wants me to say I want his help. He's waiting for me to drop my guard, but not to attack me, does he not see me as an enemy anymore? Can I trust him? I want to, I think. Is it so wrong to take the chance? Am I a traitor if I try? If I want to do this?_

They wet their lips, darting a glance at where his right hand rested warmly against their shoulder.

"I…I think.."

 _It's not a game, is it? Who am I trying to trick anymore, him or myself? I'm tired of fighting all the time. I'm sick of feeling so alone. I'm sorry, Lust, you understand, don't you?_

Mustang's expression shifted faintly, a glimmer of an emotion Envy had always detested, hopefulness, flickering in his coal black eyes. They felt a sensation of warmth prick their face in response, it was uncomfortable and utterly foreign to be stared at like that.

"I want you to help me. So, tell me how, what do I do Mustang?" Their throat was tight, likely from crying, and their tone sounded rough in their own ears.

Their warden studied them carefully, sliding his hand up from their shoulder to cup the side of their face as his gaze met and held their own in thick silence. Envy swallowed reflexively, their throat bobbing against the edge of his hand as they stared back at his searching eyes. The silence between them lingered, so still they could hear the pulse of their blood in their ears. Warmth crept across their cheeks at the awkwardly intense stare Mustang was giving them, but at last he relinquished them from his gaze and returned his hand to his lap.

"I can only hope you're serious about this. I'm going to take you at your word, Envy. The best way for you to show that you want to pursue this is by getting involved." He nodded, to himself they assumed, but his comments left a cloud of confusion over them.

 _Get involved? Involved in what? I already helped with rebuilding this stupid hovel of a town, what more is he talking about?_

"When you say get involved, you're not talking about Lior are you?" Their query was met with a sharp nod. Envy furrowed their brows in thought, trying to determine what other tasks their warden might have planned for them to participate in and prove themselves through, but they were grasping at theoretical straws.

"I wasn't certain if you would be ready for this information, but reconstruction isn't the only reason we're here. The encounter you had at the temple proves our assumptions were on the right track, but there are a lot of unknowns we need to consider." He stood from the bed and began a slow circling trek about the room. "Your father must have used your abilities for more than just starting wars, if I were in his position I would put you to use for gathering information, eavesdropping on specific targets, and espionage missions. Am I correct in assuming you worked within those specifications?" Glancing at them expectantly, he paused in his wandering.

Envy nodded, shifting forward on the bed. Their hair slid around their bare shoulders, slightly damp and cold against their skin. Brushing it back with their hand, they frowned thoughtfully.

"I spent a lot of time impersonating military officers in order to relay information from father to Wrath, or other higher ups that were privy to some of father's plans. There was a short amount of time I acted as Wrath's personal assistant." They fell silent, not wanting to add that a trip northward had brought a quick end to that assignment.

"If that's the case then you'll be able to provide us with some key information, I hope." Mustang went to the dresser and removed a dark gray shirt and a loose pair of sleeping pants. He tossed the garments onto the bed and folded his arms over his chest, waiting.

"Put those on and get up, we're going to meet with the others."

Envy blinked at the clothing that looked bland and slightly large for their body.

I guess asking if I could just create some clothing wouldn't be a good idea right now. Ugh, why does it have to look so shabby though?

They slipped the shirt on and slid their feet into the pant legs, but the moment they stood to pull the waist band up, their feet radiated with searing pain and they toppled back onto the mattress with a sudden yelp. Clutching at their ankles to avoid causing an increase in the jarring agony their feet were experiencing, they sucked in a harsh breath and whined in distress.

"I'm not walking anywhere like this! Can't I at least be allowed to heal? My feet have welts all over them. How do you expect me to stand, let alone walk!" Grimacing as the ache began to slowly calm, they observed their warden sigh softly and turn his back to them. As he picked up one of the luggage cases and brought it toward the bed, they tensed apprehensively.

 _Now what's he doing?_

Opening the case, he reached inside and then glanced over to where Envy was sprawled on the mattress, meeting their suspicious look with an amused smirk.

"You certainly are a dramatic one. If it's so difficult for you to stand, then we'll have to bandage your feet. This is a simple salve, give me your feet and I'll rub it on, then wrap them, and we can get going." He lifted a short, rounded container and a roll of bandages from the case.

Envy was flabbergasted. Their face twitched as they watched him approach and reach for one of their feet. A sudden urge to kick the colonel across the room welled up inside of them, but they fought it back for their own safety. They made no small amount of complaining noises and grunts as he snatched up their right foot and massaged a sticky, thick gel onto the welted and bruised skin. A heavy scent of aloe, lavender, chamomile, and other medicinal ingredients assailed their senses as his fingers worked the salve over their punished sole. The colonel then took a length from the roll of bandages and wound it firmly around their injured foot, but not too tight that it would constrict blood flow. Indignant and utterly mortified, Envy continued their hissing, huffing, and grumbling as their left foot received the same treatment. When Mustang had finished, he returned to the case, wiping his hands with a towel and some cleansing liquid that had a heavy alcoholic odor. Their face was beet red as they observed him close the case and return it to the luggage area across the room.

Mustang settled his arms over his chest and clicked his tongue chidingly after finding them still gawking at him from the bed.

"If you continue to lay there and glower at me I'll have to help you get dressed as well." He took a rather threatening step forward and Envy sprang into action, jerking their pants into place around their hips as they rocketed off the bed and stumbled away from their warden in an embarrassed panic.

"NO! I've got it!"

They ignored the distinctly soft chuckling coming from the colonel as they adjusted to the cushion of the bandages around their feet, but they were grateful for it. The realization made them irritated and flustered all at the same time, but they did their best to regain some semblance of dignity as they followed their warden out of their room and down the hallway. They paused at the second door down the corridor, Mustang gave a quick knock, then opened the door and gestured for them to step inside.

The room appeared to be a suite of some sort, with a living space and two doors in the left wall that presumably led to sleeping rooms. A comfortable looking sofa and several chairs were gathered around a coffee table covered in documents and files, one of which Hawkeye was currently examining. The entire team was seated around the table, some holding coffee mugs that slowly released tendrils of steam into the air. They glanced over when Envy and Mustang entered, and gave greeting nods to them.

Envy darted their gaze from one face to the other, searching for signs of mocking or disapproval, worried that they might have been able to hear their earlier exchange with the colonel, but no one gave any indication that they had heard their punishment or subsequent wailing. A soft sigh of relief escaped them as they took an empty seat beside Falman.

Mustang rested a hand on the back of their chair, standing slightly to their right as he addressed his team.

"Envy has decided to actively participate with the team, and I feel it's time to be open about our true objective. We discussed previously I would determine when that time was right, and it's now. If anyone has an objection, state it here and now before we move on." He glanced specifically toward Breda and Havoc, both of whom looked suspiciously in the homunculus' direction.

"Are you sure we can trust it sir?" Breda frowned deeply, his arms folding over his barrel chest stubbornly.

Envy bristled in their seat, their fists clenching in their lap as they returned the man's challenging look with an offended glare. They felt Mustang's hand slide from the back of their seat to graze their shoulder lightly, whether it was meant to be reassuring or restraining they weren't certain, but it did help them reign in their urge to lash out. Rather than snapping at the doubtful human across from them, they curled their lip back in annoyance and tried to maintain some control over their tone.

"My name is Envy, or you can say homunculus, but don't you dare call me an IT, human." Their scowl was met with a dismissive snort, but Breda did slightly nod his head toward them.

"Yeah fine, homunculus. I still don't know about trusting you, but if the colonel believes it's for the best, I'll follow orders." He glanced toward Havoc, who looked less annoyed at the situation and more nervous than anything.

Mustang slid his hand off from Envy's shoulder and took a seat beside them, seeming ready to move on from the conversation. He swept a file off from the coffee table and browsed through it quickly, flipping a few pages before dropping the documents on his lap and turning his attention to the team.

"The upheaval on the Promised Day created a lot of chaos and turmoil in the military, specifically at Central headquarters. Many of the ranking officers and higher ups involved in the Homunculi's plans were either killed or arrested that day, but there have been suspicions that not all of the individuals that participated or were complicit in the operations were known." He nodded toward the lieutenant.

Hawkeye placed several pictures on the table, and Envy leaned forward in their seat to get a better look at the faces. Their eyes scanned familiar features as they thought back over times they had either conversed with, impersonated, or simply observed the humans in the photos. The lieutenant's clear voice cut into their thoughts and pulled their attention back to the meeting.

"The most prominent of the men here is former brigadier general Edison. He was one of the highest ranking military officers engaged in the building of the so called immortal army project, and was arrested after the battle with the homunculus. It's been suspected that he may have sent messages to others involved with the plans since the time of his arrest, but no amount of pressure has garnered information from him." She settled into a chair, taking a cup of coffee from Fuery and sipping at it.

Mustang tapped a finger against the documents on his lap. Then cleared his throat before speaking.

"This is where you come in, Envy." He met their arched eyebrows with a slightly amused smile. "You said you ran information between the military and your father, and that you spent time with Wrath at headquarters, so I need to know if there are any personnel that you knew who were involved with your father that aren't in these files."

 _I see now, so there's been an ulterior motive all along. I guess that's understandable, dirty tactic Mustang. I'm impressed._

Their gaze fell onto the photographs again as they leaned forward to scrutinize the faces once more.

"I don't know every person here. Father was coordinating his plans for centuries, even before I was created, and in some cases Lust was the one to handle the invitation of selected humans. I can tell you the three I do know of who aren't in these pictures." They lifted a hand, ticking off each name with a finger. "Major general Gärtner, lieutenant general Storch, and affairs officer Yakovlev. Both Storch and Yakovlev worked together under Wrath for a long while before Hawkeye, and later myself, took over the position."

Falman scratched at his chin beside them.

"At what point did they leave Central? Their whereabouts aren't in any of the documents and we've scanned through them numerous times." He looked at them expectantly, but only received a shrug.

"Pfft! Like I would know? Listen Squinty, I wasn't concerned about where Wrath sent his human puppets off too if father didn't need to know about it. They either stayed in Central until the big day, or they scurried off to one of the other locations we had somewhere in Amestris." They tapped the table with a finger absently, then glanced toward the colonel. "I do know that Gärtner was sent up to Briggs to get that woman general to come to Central. He was supposed to carve the crest of blood into the north, but we ended up having to rely mostly on Kimblee to do that."

"I always wondered how someone like Kimblee was released from prison. I guess that was your father's doing?" Havoc scratched at the whiskery stubble on his chin as he looked toward them.

Envy nodded, but allowed a slight grin to slip over their face.

"You could say that. We had worked with him in Ishval before, so Wrath believed he could be useful to our goals. I was sent to retrieve him, and provide him with a new Philosopher's Stone." They waved off the frowns that their revelation earned them and continued in a less satisfied tone. "The Crimson Lotus alchemist is inconsequential now, he's never been integral enough to know anything useful, if he's even alive still. What you're all misunderstanding here is that father had more than one iron in the fire." They turned their attention mainly toward Mustang, directing their next statement to him specifically.

"The Nationwide transmutation circle was his ultimate goal, but he had several smaller operations in the works, the immortal army to manipulate the military into obedience, and the human alchemy experiments carried out by the doctors in the laboratories. The most notable one being the Führer Candidate program."

The colonel met their gaze evenly, his brows knit together in thought.

"You're talking about the experiment that produced King Bradley. The lieutenant and I ran into the doctor responsible for that project along with his failed test subjects below Central." Their warden nodded toward Hawkeye briefly, and Envy caught her wince slightly as if troubled by the memory of the encounter.

 _Must have been quite the battle. They're still missing the point though. Humans, always needing to be led along, and I'm the one that needs help Mustang?_

Rolling their eyes, Envy clapped their hand against the table abruptly, drawing all eyes toward them.

"Do you really think that gold-toothed moron handled that entire project alone for more than two decades? He was the leader of a TEAM of researchers and doctors, and he wasn't the only one that could use alchemy in that group. If you're worried about the fact that you have military personnel who were sympathetic to father's designs missing, I can guarantee you that the trouble they cause will be nothing compared to what those doctors can do if you don't find them. They're the ones you should be hunting for." They snorted lightly, folding their arms over their chest and meeting Mustang's deep frown with one of their own.

Their warden clenched his hands into tight fists for a moment, then released a slow breath.

"The alchemist you encountered under the temple, her name is Octavia Evertsen. She was a major who worked primarily at Western headquarters until after the civil war in Lior, then she seemed to disappear from any documented records. Her official title was the Life Stream Alchemist. She specialized in manipulating water, even to the point of draining it from living sources. Envy, did she say anything to you before attacking?" His question caught them unexpectedly, and they had to think back for several moments over their exchange with the woman.

"She did mention being intrigued by me, but that she wasn't seeking recruits and that I had caused her trouble by going down there. At the time, I didn't think about correcting her that she was technically in my territory, but then she tried to drown me so talking wasn't much of an option." They shook their head. "Is any of that important?"

Mustang massaged a finger over his jawline, staring up at the ceiling as he considered the information.

"I'm not certain yet what it means, but if there are people like Storch and Gärtner unaccounted for, and they were to theoretically make contact with these doctors you were talking about, then we could be facing some very serious problems. First things first, we need to catch Evertsen and find out who she's operating with and what their intended plans are."


	10. Chapter ten

Time had a strange way of passing quickly, even for someone that was nearly immortal. It had been almost three weeks since their run in with the renegade state alchemist in Lior; three weeks of scouring documents, obtaining leads, chasing those leads down to inevitable dead ends, and traveling all over the country side of Amestris. Envy had been inside more train carriages and truck cabs than they could stand lately. The only decent part of the hunt so far had been getting out of the overly warm climate of the eastern territory. They had discovered a few intriguing details about the mission their team was on, specifically that Führer Grumman had been the one to pressure Mustang into coercing them to participate, either by force or choice. It made sense that it took a man of that position to influence the colonel to embark on such a risky venture, but they were rather glad for it.

Glancing around the private box they were presently riding in, Envy noticed the way their warden and the lieutenant were leaned in together, their eyes intently pouring over a file that contained a new lead on their target. They had started taking more careful observations of their team recently, and it hadn't been long before they had picked up on the not-so-subtle behaviors between Mustang and Hawkeye. They were always professional of course, but Envy had been given enough descriptions and tutoring by Lust to recognize a deeper connection when it existed. Whether the rest of the team was aware of it or too polite or obtuse to notice they didn't know; but it took a great deal of willpower not to badger and tease their warden about their observations.

Their gaze shifted to the other side of the box, where Havoc was fast asleep against the window while Falman and Fuery were engaged in a lively conversation with Breda about the best stops to make along their route for obtaining potential leads. They had chased trails of their target as far as East City before it seemed that everything had gone cold. Mustang had made the decision to try the southern territory and see what they could pull up by scoping out some known hot spots for trouble and unrest. One of those places was going to be Dublith, a town that got under their skin simply because it reminded them of Greed. Envy scowled at their feet as they thought about him.

 _He's just lucky Wrath was the one to find him there and not me. I don't care how much time passes, he'll always be a self-serving traitor. I wish I could have felt my fist smash into his smug face just once before he disappeared, for all I know he could be in Xing with that squinty-eyed brat-prince. Probably living it up in a palace while I have to gallivant all over the country on a wild goose chase._ _Tch, he probably never even thinks about Lust, or Gluttony, or Pride, or Wrath, or me. We meant nothing to him, well, he can rot inside the stupid prince's body. I have things to keep me occupied too now, sort of._

Working with their new team in a willingly, cooperative way had been an adjustment for them; one that had been rocky. Mustang was wise enough not to assign them to work with Breda yet, the two of them were on tenuously bearable terms with each other, but it didn't take much to get them bickering and posturing for a fight. Havoc had been easier to deal with, but they found that his company would eventually wear on their nerves as his comments about beautiful women tended to annoy them. On one stop at a hotel he had remarked about a curvy, dark-haired woman at the service desk and Envy had quipped in a barbed manner about how she would never compare to their sister. Havoc had been notably uncomfortable, but had shut up for the rest of the night.

They shifted against their seat, attempting to quell the nagging itch in their nodes. Mustang kept their powers restrained during travel and when on assignment, or for sleeping. The constant ache in their nerve endings had dulled over time, morphing into an annoying buzz of irritation in the back of their brain; like an old wound rubbed raw at the outer edges, frustratingly painful, but not enough to inhibit them. They longed for a chance to have the little pins removed, to flex their strength, such as it was, and feel free for a few moments.

 _Click, clack, click, clack. This stupid train is so noisy. Between the clanking of the rails and the drone of their never-ending blabbering I'm starting to get a headache here. The only one who ever made this much noise before was Greed, especially when he was rambling on about some idiotic conquest he had made. I don't know why you ever entertained his boasting Lust. Especially since he always followed up his blowhard stories by trying to entice you. Made for each other he would quip, two sides of the same coin, a complimentary pair. Ha! Why did you always laugh? I never understood that, it always pissed me off, and you never explained it to me. Why am I thinking about him so much anyway? Stupid ass! He's getting on my nerves even when his fanged-face isn't in front of me._

The changing terrain outside the window signaled that they were crossing into the southern territory and brought with it a souring of their mood. Envy tilted their head back and tugged their military cap down over their eyes to shut out the light and incessant chattering to their left. It was still a good while till they reached their station in Tobha, they could pass the time better with a nap than glowering about memories they didn't want to think about.

The midday sun blazed brightly in the clear sky as they disembarked their train at Tobha's station. Fuery and Falman made a quick stop at the general store next to the station while Hawkeye procured local transportation for them. The luggage was loaded into the back of a horse cart and the team piled in with it to make the trek to their rest stop. Envy stretched their stiff muscles and leaned back against the bench seat as the cart swayed gently from side to side. They caught movement toward their right and glanced up slightly to find their warden watching them from his seat. Arching their brows, they sat up a bit straighter as he carefully crossed over the luggage to sit beside them.

"How are you holding up?" His question was curious, and they weren't certain where he was going with it, but they shrugged and offered an honest reply.

"Bored, tired of traveling, and sick of these things stabbing my back, they itch."

"I can imagine." He nodded toward them, and their eyes narrowed in annoyance.

 _Oh you can huh? I highly doubt that._

"Did I screw something up again?"

Mustang blinked at them, seemingly surprised by their direct question. He furrowed his brows and shook his head.

"Why would you ask that?"

"Because!" They waved a hand in front of them, gesturing in a small circle. "Any time you come sit by me while we're on the road, it's to give me some lecture about how I messed up and need to improve more or some other crap. I can't think of anything I've really failed at lately, but if you're sitting here then I had to have done something. So, what is it?"

They weren't expecting him to laugh, and the sound drew the attention of the rest of the team briefly, causing a rush of embarrassment to wash over them.

"You haven't screwed up, as you put it. Actually, I came over here to talk to you about Evertsen. You witnessed her fighting style personally, do you think, you could replicate it?"

Envy frowned as they mulled over the question.

"I can't perform alchemy, but I could mimic the motions of her transmutation, at least on the short-range level. Why are you asking?"

"When we get settled, I want to run a training exercise with the entire team. I need you to give everyone a practice run at fighting her, even if it isn't a perfect replication of her abilities, you can help us understand her stance, her movements. At least what you remember of them." He tilted his head toward them and smirked. "Of course, I'll have to take those needles out for you to transform, but I think you've earned some trust by now."

Envy's eyes were wide with shock as their brain absorbed his words.

 _He's serious! The last time he took them out was only to let me heal before we left Lior, it's been weeks. Finally!_

They couldn't help grinning as they gave their warden a sharp nod.

"I'll do it."

"Good, but remember, this is only training, I don't want you actually injuring anyone, mimic her attacks as best as you can, but don't make me regret this decision." His warning was stern, a reminder that all the faith he was placing in them rested on a narrow ledge.

"I know, I know! Don't get your fuse lit so soon. I promise to behave, I won't even hurt tubby." Mustang snorted at them, shaking his head at their jab towards Breda. The rest of the ride to the house Mustang had arranged for them to stay at was spent in anticipation of the evening's training. Envy could barely contain their elation as the horses plodded on along the dirt road.

Grassy knolls gradually gave way to patches of sage bushes and clusters of trees dotting open, unused fields. At the end of a curving path stood a humble little house, a single story wooden building, with a few spots of chipped paint and a roof that had seen better days. The place was far from impressive, but it was secluded, a good half hour's ride from the bustle of the town. Once they had unloaded the luggage into the house and the driver had faded from view, Mustang called everyone to meet him in the field behind the house.

"We've gathered enough intelligence about Evertsen to know her specific type of attacks, but when we engage her I would prefer it if we had a little training to go by. Some of you are not as practiced in fighting an alchemist as others are, we can't afford error in this mission, I need everyone to be sharp. We have to take her alive, without injuries to ourselves or civilians if at all possible. To do that, I'm going to have Envy act as a stand in for Evertsen. He can demonstrate her range of attack and give us a good idea of what we'll be facing." He swept his gaze over the group, gauging their reactions to his orders. When he seemed satisfied, he continued.

"Go inside and get your weapons, but remember this is training, Envy isn't going to harm anyone so don't fire at any vital areas, understand?"

Envy balked at his words. They whipped around to stare at him as the team headed into the house.

"Wait a second! You never said anyone was going to be shooting at me! Do you have any idea how much getting hit by a bullet hurts?"

Mustang gave them a look that clearly meant he wasn't going to give their argument any sympathy.

"You'll be fine. Now let me see your back."

The tension in their muscles was visible as they met his stern resolve with suspicious irritation.

 _This is a callous move colonel. How am I supposed to trust you if you're going to just use me for target practice? Some team this is, I guess I'm supposed to be grateful it's only non-vital areas they're targeting?_

Glowering in displeasure, they turned their back to him and shrugged out of their jacket. Mustang's fingers slid over their back, pulling the material of their shirt up and allowing the cool breeze of the late afternoon to kiss their skin. His fingers grasped in turn at each pin pressed into their nodes, plucking them from their resting places and freeing their stone's power. The surge of released energy rushed through them with an invigorating charge. They flexed their fingers, grinning as they instantly adopted their old attire.

 _Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought, after all, they need to HIT me for it to hurt. It's so good to be back in my favorite clothes. I'm just not me without my complete look._

Patting their hands against their hips, they hummed in pleased amusement as the team rejoined them. Envy glanced at their faces, noting the nervousness in Fuery's eyes and the irritation from Breda. They smirked.

 _That's right boys, I'm free!_

Mustang signaled for them to take positions around Envy and then nodded to the homunculus. Red light crackled around their body as their form changed, adopting more pronounced feminine features, the dark braid, and severe visage of Octavia Evertsen. Though they couldn't mimic her alchemy, they could split their arm into writhing green tendrils of flesh, that, when whipped about quickly enough, gave the appearance of undulating liquid. They allowed that part of their arm to lengthen to the approximate distance of her short-range attack, then turned their attention to Mustang.

"If my arm touches any of them, it will mean that Evertsen is close enough to drain the water from their body." They hadn't bothered to copy her voice, given that they were going to be a living target, they wanted to remind their team they weren't the actual enemy as much as possible.

Mustang nodded and took a position beside Hawkeye, though he didn't draw any firearms. Envy supposed he wouldn't need them anyway, and adopted the stance they recalled the woman taking when she had attacked them in the cavern.

 _This is probably going to suck. If anyone shoots me I'm going to kick them in the face._

"Engage!"

Mustang's abrupt command caught them somewhat unexpectedly, as they had still been worrying over potential injuries and weren't fully focused on the humans surrounding them. The sound of weapons clicking as bullets were pushed into firing chambers resonated in their ears from all directions, alarming despite Mustang's previous assurances.

Acting on instinct, they pivoted on their heel and dove to the right when the first shots exploded from the barrels of the guns, the sharp ping of metal slamming into rock echoing in their ears as they weaved their way toward the pair nearest their right side. Havoc and Breda stood their ground, weapons in hand as they watched Envy's writhing tendrils approach. Havoc proved to be a quick shot, blasting a warning bullet into the dirt right in front of their feet. Envy paused, their eyes narrowing as they took a step back, retreating for the time being. Mustang's voice called out orders, encouraging the team to work together to force their target into a cornered position.

Envy scowled, watching as the team responded, moving into open positions, but continuing to fire shots that blazed into the dirt at their feet, or whizzed past their body with frightening proximity. The shots that came the closest, nearly kissing their skin with trails of fire had to be Hawkeye's. They whirled around to snap their arm in her direction, anger drawing a shout from their lips as their writhing limb slammed violently into the ground, cracking earth, and kicking up dust. It wasn't exactly a move that the woman they were impersonating would have used, but they couldn't help lashing out. A small spark of satisfaction welled up inside them as they watched the lieutenant and the colonel dive away from them.

 _I'm not going to make this easy on you._

Crouching down, they swept their arm out in a wide arc, slashing at the approaching members of the team on their other side, driving them back. Recalling Evertsen's style of approach with her swirling vortex, they snapped their arm up, twisting and whipping the tendrils they had violently as they stalked toward Fuery and Falman. The feeling of chasing prey was invigorating in a way they didn't dare announce aloud, but privately, they relished it.

 _Here I come Squinty!_

Snapping their arm side to side, they lunged forward abruptly, ducking below a shot fired from the side, and reaching out toward Falman as he scrabbled backward on the ground. Their green limbs flailed dangerously, encroaching on his personal space until the tip of one brushed his chest, knocking him flat against the dirt. Envy let out a victorious cackle, utterly pleased with their win, but their mirth was cut short as a searing pain exploded in their brain. Eyes widening, they gaped down at Falman as crimson spattered over his uniform and flooded their vision. Dark spots flickered around the man's stunned expression before their world tilted sharply and the ground rushed up to meet them.

Seconds later they blinked their eyes open, and sat up slowly from the dirt, carefully reaching a hand up to massage the tingling, aching area in their forehead where healing energy was sparking red around their flesh. They could hear Mustang's angry voice berating and chiding someone, but it took them a moment to pinpoint who it was the colonel was lighting into.

"You! You SHOT me!" Their screech was a combination of disbelief and outrage, and it cut Mustang's scolding off abruptly. All eyes turned to regard them as they jerked to their feet and stomped across to where a distressed Fuery was attempting to stutter an apology out. Their fists clenched tightly at their sides as he bumbled over his words.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear any stupid human excuses! It was training you idiot!" They drew their right fist back, then twisted around, jabbing an accusing finger at their warden. "This is YOUR fault! YOU said I would be fine! Liar! Do you have any idea what that cost me?! I DIED!" Anger clutched at their gut, mingling with the gnawing terror of the truth they had tried to keep quiet since they had first regained their form; they couldn't survive very many deaths at their current strength.

Mustang's gaze hardened in annoyance and suspicion, a look they blanched at, realizing what it meant.

 _Don't you start analyzing me Mustang!_

"I removed the pins so that you would be safe to recover, even if you were hit, you're over reacting Envy." He narrowed his coal black eyes marginally, observing them as they squirmed under his gaze in discomfort. "Unless you're with-holding information from me. Is there something we need to discuss?"

Their mouth fell open, but only broken syllables tripped across their tongue. Dry fear constricted their throat as they struggled with the desire to lie. Their constant time with him had slowly worn at their defensive walls, breaking down the venomous barrier of hatred and disgust they had flung at him with his unprecedented patience and guidance. Where they would have once snapped a scathing curse at him and denied any weakness, now they felt a shameful urge compelling them to expose their vulnerabilities, to confide in him their fears. The realization that they wanted to yield, to trust him without any physical constraint or emotional pressure to force it, was jarring. Envy blinked, drawing a hand up to their chest as if they could wrench the strange, alien feelings from their body. They heaved a heavy breath, shaking their head once as they kept their eyes locked with their warden's, observing his face shift from irritation to questioning concern.

That look was like a knife, stabbing them with kindness. It still didn't make sense to them. His compassion was maddening. They hated it, but they craved it all the same. The fact that he cared about them in any capacity was insulting and uplifting all in one terribly amazing rush. They were always ashamed of how that look could confound any resistance they tried to put up to him, drawing consent, submission, even beseeching need from them with a power they simply couldn't comprehend. Heat flooded across their face as they grimaced against the unnatural swirl of delight and shame churning in their gut.

 _What kind of Homunculus am I?! I'll never be able to go back from this, he's pulled me too far down. I don't want to tell him, but I need to, he'll help me, won't he? Mustang, you did this, look what you've done to me!_

"You've worn me down so much, I can't even fight myself about you anymore." They hissed softly, lowering their gaze to his boots briefly. "When you gave me the liquid Philosopher's Stone, it was barely enough power for me to take this form. I've been weak all this time, dangerously weak. Dying is risky right now, I don't exactly know how many times it can happen before I lose the ability to take this form, and I don't want to be that powerless again. I hate being trapped in that tiny, pathetic state." They scowled, glaring despite the humiliation burning across their face.

Mustang's gaze turned thoughtful, his brows furrowed as he stared them down in contemplative consideration. The rest of the team was gathered behind him, waiting for the colonel's decision. Envy wrestled with the urge to renege their announcement. It was too late to change anything they had said now.

"I hadn't considered to what extent the limitations of your stone were. Up till now I had assumed you were fine since you healed from any minor injuries with little effort. My main concern was keeping you too weak to assume any more threatening forms or being too difficult for the team to manage should you turn on us." He massaged a hand against his chin, observing the homunculus as they shifted their stance in visible discomfort. "Let's go inside for now, everyone could use some rest before we head into Dublith tomorrow." He stepped closer to them, placing a heavy hand on the top of their head, allowing his fingers to slightly curl against the strands of their thick, dark hair at their scalp.

"We'll discuss this further in the morning Envy."

They sucked in a sharp breath through their teeth, nodding their head once. His hand slipped through their hair briefly as he walked past them, and they turned to follow, their gaze locked on the broad expanse of his back. The steps of their team sounded faint behind them, half-secreted chatter meaningless in the wake of their internal questions.

 _What is the morning going to bring? He has to help me out, I've proven I'm trust worthy by now, right? And why, WHY does it have to be Dublith?! That despicable cesspool of human waste isn't worth anything. It's tainted with his filthy influence._

When they had all sequestered themselves inside the house, the lieutenant had instructed them to follow her down the hall to one of the rooms. They took a quick scan of the relatively small space, noting the simple, metal-framed bed, an old wooden table and two sturdy chairs, and a single, old-fashioned oil lamp standing in a corner of the room. Hawkeye lit the lamp, then took a seat at the table and waited for them to join her.

 _Huh, this is new._

Envy arched their brows as they settled into the seat across from her.

She had a deep crease in her forehead, stress lines were faintly visible near the corners of her brown eyes from years of war and personal struggles, but despite the wear and tear she had endured emotionally and physically, she still held some semblance of charm. They supposed it was a soldier's beauty, stern, dangerous, and pained. She was a woman of few words, with a tendency to be direct with her points when she did speak, they appreciated that, her blunt nature meant they wouldn't have to endure her company for an excessive amount of time.

"I've been resolutely against your participation with this mission from the start. At any time, I've been prepared to shoot you, and to keep firing until you were completely gone." Cool as ice, hard as stone, and utterly resolved; she held their gaze for a moment across the table. Her brown eyes widened slightly, her face troubled. "I didn't believe it was possible for you to adapt, I knew we would have to put you down at some point, but you haven't just adapted. You're legitimately forcing yourself to work with us, to betray your own vulnerabilities and trust that he's going to catch you when you collapse."

She leaned forward slowly, her eyes searching their own.

"Hatred can fade with time, it withers when compassion constantly washes over it, like stones in a river. He's offered to you what he found in us, genuine support and care, strength, and structure. What are you going to do with that Envy?"

They felt their jaw tighten marginally as they lowered their gaze from her piercing eyes to examine the cracks in the surface of the table.

"I don't know what you want me to say. Mustang has made it clear he doesn't hate me, and I believe him. I can't say he doesn't piss me off sometimes, but I know I don't feel any desire to attack him. You can't understand what this is like for me, and I don't feel particularly inclined to spell it all out for you." Frowning as they fell back on the comfortable familiarity of defensiveness, they lifted a stubborn face toward her.

She leaned back in her chair gingerly, weariness pulling an unnatural slump into her shoulders. Resting her head in her right hand, she met their dogged expression with a faint quirk of a smile that drew their brows together in confusion.

"When I worked with Wrath he opened up to me about his past, his purpose in the plans for the country, and the designated role he had no choice but to play. I was too angry to feel any sense of pity for him, believing that he was a willing chess piece, an eager puppet who delighted in the charade he was playing. Then he told me about his wife, how he chose her, that she was the only part of his life that he had taken control of, and I could tell how proud he was over it, how meaningful she was to him. It made me doubt, for a moment, what I believed homunculi to be." Brown eyes rich with a searching warmth pinned them to their seat, she raised her other hand, pointing a slender finger at them from the table's surface.

"You've forced me to rethink my position again. He's willing to go as far as it takes to bring you out of whatever darkness is enveloping you, and I can see that you're trying to pull free from it. It used to confound me how Mrs. Bradley could spend so much of her life with Wrath, but having observed you, and in talking with him. I'm understanding now, relationships between humans and homunculi are possible, even if they take more effort and develop slowly. I have to know, if he needs you, can you step up to the line Envy? How far have you really come?"

 _What is WITH these people?! Why does every damn conversation have to be probing and uncomfortable?! Can't any of them just ask me something boring and mundane? Why not, 'what was your favorite part of the train trip Envy?' or 'Hey Envy, what kind of dessert would you like?' or at the very least she could congratulate me for not slapping the stupid out of Fuery for shooting me!_

Exasperated, they heaved a heavy sigh and allowed their head to drop with a thump onto the table top. Riza didn't move, waiting for an answer despite their dramatics. Eventually, they lifted their head and folded their arms across their chest, frowning across the room to avoid looking at her.

"Somehow I don't think the Flame Alchemist is going to need a half-dead homunculus for help with much of anything." They raised a finger up, still refusing to look in her direction. "However, he's done a lot for me, even when I didn't want it, especially when I didn't want it. Gratitude isn't a sentiment I'm used to feeling, but clawing and screaming as he's dragged me into the most uncomfortable positions of my existence has been better than evaporating into ashes. As painful as it is to change, I'm making the journey because that smug jerk is right about everything, he's right about the situation, and he's right about me, and it's infuriating and terrifying sometimes, but, no one has treated me like this in such a long time that I can't help but crave more of it. The only way to get that is to give in, to compromise everything I am, and, I'm learning how to accept it." They snapped their gaze over to meet her own, their expression conflicted, but honest.

"I won't give you any promises to defend him or aid him at the risk of my own life. If that's what you wanted to hear, you're going to be disappointed Hawkeye." They watched her expression falter, frustration, and sadness seeping into her eyes as tension returned to her shoulders. She pushed away from the table, standing up with a firm frown set on her lips. They grimaced, fighting with themselves over what to say.

"It isn't that I plan to let him face his battles alone okay?! I just don't want to die for him. I won't die for any of you, I wouldn't even do it for father, so why should you humans be any different? Can't you just be satisfied knowing I'm helping however he asks me to?" Dropping their head into their hands, they dug their fingers into their hair.

They expected to hear her footsteps cross the room and the door to shut behind her, but instead they heard her approach them and felt the lightest brush of her hand against their back. They stilled under her touch, listening to the silence in the room.

"I can be satisfied with that for now. Why don't you get some sleep Envy?"

Her hand left their back as she started for the door, and they jolted up from their seat, staring after her in bewilderment.

"Wait a second! Isn't he coming in to secure me for the night?"

The lieutenant turned at the door, regarding them with a strange expression they couldn't interpret. Her smile was subtle, but discomfortingly trusting.

"Not tonight. If you need anything, we're close by. Good night Envy." She opened the door and stepped into the hallway, giving them one last glance.

Envy was dumbfounded, stunned by the freedom they were being allowed.

"Good night…Hawkeye."

She paused, then closed their door and made her way down the hall, her steps echoing softly as she left them in their room.

"They're not going to chain me down, or cut off my stone all night. He's going to trust me this much. Is he stupid? I could escape, or murder them while they slept-but I don't feel like doing either of those things, and he knows it, doesn't he?" Groaning at their realization, they crossed the room and flopped back on their mattress, feeling it bounce lightly under them. They dropped their hands into the blankets, fisting the fabric between their fingers. It felt good to be able to slide their hands over the material, to roll over into any position they wanted. Envy lifted their left hand into the air and spread their fingers, feeling a surge of pleasure ripple through them as they stared at their unbound wrist. A delighted laugh tumbled from their lips as they kicked their feet up and dropped their head against their pillow.

The light in the room flickered and guttered as the oil inside the lamp began to run low. They didn't bother to turn it out, letting it slowly die while they rolled from their back to their stomach on the mattress. Their thoughts wandered in the darkening room, shifting from their strangely fortunate turn of circumstances to the day ahead.

 _In the morning we're going to Dublith, your old stomping grounds you wretched waste of a stone. I'll have to find something that belonged to you, just so I can smash it to pieces. I'll pretend it's your stupid, smirking face. Heh, I think I know where all my hatred has been refocused. Look at that Greed, you're useful to me after all, if I can hate you for everything, maybe this working with the humans will be even easier. You deserve it too, you left us all alone, it's your fault Lust changed, you knew it when you left, but you always needed to please yourself first. Well, that's fine. I'll keep going forward, and when Mustang's satisfied, I'll get him to tell me where you are, you traitor. Then I'll hunt you down, and I'll make you sorry you abandoned us. I'll track you down, even to Xing, and you'll answer to me this time._

Twittering birds announced the early hours of the following morning, and Envy was eager to greet it for a change. They were out of their room after a relatively short, but restful slumber, expecting themselves to be the first one up and active as they entered the communal quarters of the house. Their feet came to a halt at the entry way to the living room, all movement stopped as their gaze took in Roy Mustang's figure seated on the couch facing them. His coal black eyes met their surprised violets in quiet observance before he gestured toward the open seat at his right. Envy crossed the distance, settling onto the cushion as they cast a miffed look in his direction.

"Why are you up this early? Did you even sleep?"

A slow smirk spread over his face at their annoyed tone of voice.

"Did I spoil your morning plans by beating you out of bed?"

"I was going to bring you and Hawkeye breakfast in bed, with flowers and all of my tear-soaked gratitude, and you ruined my surprise! You should apologize, and go back to bed!" They were mocking of course, sweeping their hand through the air dramatically and pouting at him as they leaned back against the couch. Mustang snorted and they dropped their faked sulking for a sneering grin. "Even I wouldn't buy that load of crap, if I brought you anything to eat, you can bet it would make you sick."

"Which is why I would incinerate it, and then smack you for even trying." He shook his head, watching as they snickered lightly. There was a lightness to their exchange, a familiarity of established boundaries and understood temperaments. It was comfortable.

"You seem in better spirits today, I'm pleased to see it." Regarding them briefly, he turned his gaze toward his lap. "Hawkeye informed me of the conversation the two of you had last night, she's starting to trust you a bit, which is good, for you."

"What doesn't she tell you?" Envy scoffed with an exaggerated roll of their eyes. They slouched into the cushions a bit deeper, capturing their lower lip between their teeth to worry the flesh absently as they thought about the lieutenant. "I guess if I had to pick between the two options, I would rather have her aiming her gun past me than at me."

"Obviously." Mustang nudged them gently with his elbow, and they turned their focus on him. "About your stone, I don't have access to any way of increasing your power or sustaining your immortality right now. However, I can make arrangements to obtain another dose of the liquid stone for you." He watched them closely, observing the way they struggled not to display too much excitement at his words.

It was hard to maintain their self-control when the promise of more Philosopher's stones was dangling in front of them like meat before a starving dog. Their hands trembled faintly and their eyes were wide with eagerness and delight, a grin trying to twitch their lips back over their teeth as they fought to maintain an even expression. Mustang rolled his eyes at them and abruptly pressed his hand down on top of their head, ruffling their hair, and twisting their headband in a way that drew a surprised squawk from their lips.

"Keep it together down there, I wouldn't want anyone to walk in and think we're being companionable now." He snickered softly, allowing them to knock his hand off their head. "We'll be making our way into Dublith in a few hours. You've been somewhat tense ever since you first found out about that. Should I keep a close eye on you while we're there?"

Envy paused from fixing their hair, glancing at his cautious expression with a small frown. It wouldn't be the first time they had opened up to him, and they knew it was unlikely to be the last either. Heaving a sigh, they shrugged their shoulders and dropped yet another wall to him.

 _May as well get it off my chest now._

"Dublith was Greed's city. Wrath captured him in the sewers beneath some grungy bar, but he had been visiting that waste of space since it was only a few slapped together shacks. I have every reason to believe he's the reason it developed into the pathetic den of human filth it is today, he encourages depravity in things just by breathing on them you know." They made a disgusted noise, their lip curling over their teeth in distaste. "As much as I hate the idea of going there, because it does nothing but remind me of that smug ass, it's probably the best place to look for information. If you want to know about underhanded dealings in Amestris, you have to scour the deepest gutters, and they don't run much deeper than the alleys and dens of Dublith. Personally, I want another crack at that water alchemist, when I'm not leashed; then I can really show her how fascinating I can be." They chuckled darkly for a moment, but straightened up as Mustang snorted.

"We'll see about that if we encounter her, I don't doubt that information will be forthcoming from our visit, but the nature of the information could be utterly useless to our search. Dublith is a gutter, as you put it, and illegal activity of all types is rampant, even with the change in power over the country." He drew a hand over his face, pausing to tap his index finger against his chin.

Envy watched their warden in silence as he thought, but any comment they may have made was sidelined when Hawkeye entered the room and sat down across from them. She was followed closely by the rest of the team, and after a few exchanges of morning greetings, Fuery preparing a quick round of coffee for them, and everyone settling in around the living room, it was time to discuss their plan for scouting Dublith for information.

"We'll divide into teams to cover the most ground possible, keep a low profile while you're there, mingle with the locals as best you can, and get whatever information you're able to on any strange activities, but mainly those involving disappearances, alchemy, or military officers, current or not. Hawkeye, you're with Breda. Fuery, stick with Havoc and Falman, Envy, you'll be with me. Get yourselves changed into civilian clothes, conceal your weapons, and then head into town as soon as you're ready. We'll meet back here tomorrow morning to go over any intelligence we've collected. Be smart, stay sharp. Dismissed." The colonel was always quick with his orders, but Envy observed that their team mates rarely had questions about them anyway, and the living room was soon cleared of all occupants but the two of them.

The flame alchemist stood from the couch, running a hand over the back of his neck before glancing at them. They watched his gaze as it traveled the length of their body from head to toe and back, curious as to what he was scanning them for.

 _I ought to ask him if he sees something he likes, and then tell him not to be jealous of what he can never be, but I'm sure he'll just light my hair on fire if I say it. It's SO tempting though. I shouldn't, but, I'm going for it!_

"See something you-"

"Can you change into Greed?"

They had spoken at the same time, but the colonel's request forced Envy's entire train of conversation to derail in a violent burst of shock that deafened all their senses and left their face frozen in open mouthed horror, save for a developing twitch in their left cheek.

"WHAT!?"

Envy flew off the couch as if it had exploded beneath their backside. They balled their hands into fists so tight their nails dug into their skin, and their body tensed with enough rage to pop a vein. Outrage and fury lit their eyes as they gnashed their teeth together and stalked toward their impassive warden.

"How DARE you even suggest that I debase myself by taking that bastard's form! Did you hear a single word I said before?! Why would I ever want to parade around as that snaggle-toothed, brainless, self-degrading excuse of a homunculus?" They were practically frothing at the mouth in anger, but Mustang lifted a finger and brought it down between their eyes, holding it there as they blinked.

"You said that Greed practically formed Dublith from the ground up. It's his city. Anyone that is connected to unsavory activities and has been in Dublith for more than a year would know his face, would be comfortable talking with him. More so than with strangers from outside, don't you agree?"

Envy huffed as they tried to ignore his reasoning, it made perfect sense. Of course he was correct, but they couldn't stand it, and they couldn't possibly conform to his expectations this time. It was absolutely out of the question.

"I can't do it Mustang. I won't do it! If I have to wear his face I'll skin myself! The revulsion of his bone structure will make me wither and die the moment I take it on. I'm not exaggerating. The answer is no and you'll just have to find some other way to make this work."

They scowled darkly at him as he arched his brows and settled his arms across his chest.

 _I'm not going to give in! How could he ask this of me?! What's he doing?_

They watched as their warden walked across the room to the corner table where a telephone was set beside a pad a pen. He reached out and placed a hand on the receiver, then looked over his shoulder at them.

"You were doing so well lately Envy, I was almost feeling a sense of pride in being able to call in for that liquid Philosopher's stone. Now I'll have to tell Führer Grumman that you've become taciturn again, and we're experiencing set-backs, he expects reports on your progress after all, it's a pity." He sighed, a long, drawn out puff of solemn disappointment.

Envy saw it for exactly what it was.

 _Don't try to manipulate me! You dirty, rotten human!_

They seethed, tugged at their hair, and went so far as to take a single, agitated step toward his smirking face, but then they drew back and jerked an accusing finger in his direction instead.

"You'd better include your own extortionist manipulation in your report Mustang! This is low, even for humans!" Flustered and furious, they shoved their arms over their chest and turned their back on him, hunching their shoulders as they stewed. "You're a callous, unfair man, Roy Mustang. If I wasn't the victim right now I'd be impressed."


End file.
